The initials H.H. emblazoned on the buttons of this elegant evening coat show that the wearer belonged to the Hampshire Hunt. He would have been a paying member, contributing towards the cost of the hunt. This entitled him to attend meets and also social functions such as hunt dinners and balls.

By the 1850s there were two different types of hunt coat – the dress or evening coat, as here, and the field coat. Dress coats were double-breasted with short tails. This coat has silk-satin revers and a silk lining throughout, illustrating the finer materials that were used in more formal attire. The field coat tended to be practical and was usually single-breasted and cut in the frock-coat style.

Dress coats evolved into a uniform worn exclusively for hunt balls, dinners and club events. Many hunts had membership regulations defining the colour of the coat, collar, revers and buttons. Dress codes became an increasing concern, denoting social acceptance into a fashionable hunt as well as individual membership.