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Coat

1785-1790 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Iridescent blue and green ribbed silk add a luxurious quality to this plain frock coat of the late 1780s. The most fashionable coat styles for men featured fronts curving sharply back, a high turned-down collar, long tight sleeves. By the 1780s the side pleats had moved towards the centre back seam, and were much less voluminous than in previous decades.

The cuffs are in the 'mariner's' style made popular in the mid-18th century although these are narrower and shallower. They have an opening perpendicular to the cuff, with buttons and working buttonholes.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silk, linen; hand-woven, hand-sewn
Brief description
Man's coat of blue/green shot ribbed silk, Great Britain, 1785-1790
Physical description
A man’s coat of blue and green shot ribbed silk, with 2½-inch (6.4 cm) turn-down collar and curving 2-piece sleeves end in mariner’s cuffs, 3½ inches (8.7 cm) deep. The fronts curve from neck to hem with pleats 3½ inches (8.7 cm) deep, below the hip set beside the centre back. Each front has a pocket with rectangular pocket flap; the centre-back seam is open below the hip. The back, sleeves and pockets are lined with bleached linen, the fronts, skirts and pocket flaps with blue and green shot silk twill. There are 10 worked buttonholes along the left front, the lower 3 are uncut, with 10 corresponding self-covered buttons along the right front edge, 2 on each cuff (with 2 working buttonholes) and 1 at the top and hem of the pleats.
Dimensions
  • Top of right collar to hem length: 106.0cm (approx)
  • Chest under armholes circumference: 105.0cm (approx)
Style
Production typeUnique
Credit line
Given by Mrs N. J. Batten
Summary
Iridescent blue and green ribbed silk add a luxurious quality to this plain frock coat of the late 1780s. The most fashionable coat styles for men featured fronts curving sharply back, a high turned-down collar, long tight sleeves. By the 1780s the side pleats had moved towards the centre back seam, and were much less voluminous than in previous decades.

The cuffs are in the 'mariner's' style made popular in the mid-18th century although these are narrower and shallower. They have an opening perpendicular to the cuff, with buttons and working buttonholes.
Bibliographic reference
Hart, Avril and Susan North, Historical Fashion in Detail: The 17th and 18th Centuries, London: V&A Publications, 1998, p. 84
Collection
Accession number
CIRC.455-1962

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Record createdAugust 15, 2006
Record URL
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