Searching online for the term ‘skirt lifter’ is probably unwise in the public domain, but an intriguing item sold at Graham Budd’s latest auction shows it is a popular collecting field.
The 4½in (11cm) long Victorian lady lawn tennis player’s skirt lifter c.1870s, the design incorporating crossed racquets and three tennis balls, sold for £3200 (plus 17.5% buyer’s premium) against an estimate of £75-100 at the May 21-22 auction in London.
Such items were used by Victorian women to clip up their full-length skirts, in this case above the lawn to avoid grass stains during a game of tennis.