Which 1929 Mickey Mouse short first showed Mickey wearing white gloves?

The 1929 Mickey Mouse short The Opry House first showed Mickey wearing white gloves.

The Opry House was released on March 28, 1929, during the early period when Mickey Mouse shorts were still experimenting with character design and sound. Mickey performs as the proprietor and star of a small theater, playing several instruments and dancing for an audience.

The gloves helped make Mickey’s hands easier to read against his black body in animation. They also became one of his most recognizable visual features. A common mix-up is to credit Steamboat Willie, because that film established Mickey’s international fame, but the glove detail appeared earlier in The Opry House.

The short is also notable for its musical staging and for presenting Mickey as an entertainer rather than simply an adventurer. Disney character designs changed repeatedly in the late 1920s and early 1930s, so individual features often appeared in different shorts before becoming permanent parts of a character’s look.