Interesting mittens

"The mittens were almost 80 years old when Ethel Dougan painted this watercolor, one of more than 18,000 works by some 1,000 financially strapped artists commissioned by the Index of American Design. Part of the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project, the Index aimed to document historical American arts and crafts and provide inspiration for modern designers."

The mittens were crafted in 1862 by a young woman for her fiancee.  Can you suss out the reason for the design based on the color scheme and the date?  Answer below the fold...

"The mittens had been knitted by the fiancée of Private Franklin Martin Spaulding, an 18-year-old who had enlisted in the 6th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment in August 1862. He had seen active service through that winter, as had his mittens... Worn and faded, certainly, they are nonetheless spirited, with a patriotic color scheme, embroidered stars, and rib-stitched stripes.

Nestled between the usual two pouches—a big one for the fingers and a small one for the thumb—is a third... It’s there for the teenage soldier’s index finger, so he could tear the end off a paper cartridge, load his rifle, and pull the trigger in the cold."

After noting the cleverness and knitting skill of the young woman, lets also note the skill of the watercolor artist, who has depicted the knit pattern with such detail that another craftsperson could recognize and duplicate it.

From the December 2025 issue of The Atlantic.