Waistcoat
1790-1799 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The pale colour palette and restrained decoration of this waistcoat are typical of the Neo-Classical style, which dominated textile design as well as other artistic media during the 1790s. The pink of the silk is paler than the vibrant rose-pinks of earlier garments. Gone are the curvilinear Rococo meanders and sprays of naturalistic flowers, replaced by straight lines and more stylised floral motifs. The scale of these new fashionable patterns is much smaller. A zig-zag of tambouring (chain stitching done with a hook instead of a needle) adds a little movement in this design, while a gentle twist of almost abstract flowers and leaves edges the front and lower hem.
The style of the waistcoat had changed considerably by the 1790s. A rectangular placket replaced the curving pocket flap and the waistcoat was cut straight across at the lower hem, eliminating the skirts seen previously.
The style of the waistcoat had changed considerably by the 1790s. A rectangular placket replaced the curving pocket flap and the waistcoat was cut straight across at the lower hem, eliminating the skirts seen previously.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silk, cotton; hand-woven, satin weave, hand-embroidered, hand-sewn |
| Brief description | Man's waistcoat, 1790s, British; Pink silk satin, embroidered, couched and tamboured with coloured silks and chenille |
| Physical description | Man's waistcoat with a 1⅝-inch (4 cm) collar, revers, welted pockets, straight fronts and hems, reaching to the hip. The fronts, collar, pocket welts and revers are made of pale pink silk satin, the back of bleached cotton. The waistcoat is lined with bleached cotton, the fronts faced with white silk twill. It is embroidered-to-shape with white silk chenille and floss and thread in white, yellow, pink and shades of green in a pattern of couched flowers and tamboured leaves, on the collar, revers, pocket welts, along the front edges and hems. The fronts are tamboured in a repeating design of straight lines and abstract floral motifs. There are 9 worked buttonholes on the left front, 9 embroidered buttons on the right front edge and 2 pairs of linen tape ties on the back. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Production type | Unique |
| Credit line | Given by Miss E. Carlill |
| Object history | Registered File number 1985/1062. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The pale colour palette and restrained decoration of this waistcoat are typical of the Neo-Classical style, which dominated textile design as well as other artistic media during the 1790s. The pink of the silk is paler than the vibrant rose-pinks of earlier garments. Gone are the curvilinear Rococo meanders and sprays of naturalistic flowers, replaced by straight lines and more stylised floral motifs. The scale of these new fashionable patterns is much smaller. A zig-zag of tambouring (chain stitching done with a hook instead of a needle) adds a little movement in this design, while a gentle twist of almost abstract flowers and leaves edges the front and lower hem. The style of the waistcoat had changed considerably by the 1790s. A rectangular placket replaced the curving pocket flap and the waistcoat was cut straight across at the lower hem, eliminating the skirts seen previously. |
| Bibliographic reference | Hart, Avril and Susan North. Historical Fashion in Detail: The 17th and 18th Centuries. London: V&A Publications, 1998, p. 108
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.355-1985 |
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| Record created | August 16, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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