Coat thumbnail 1
Coat thumbnail 2
+5
images
Not currently on display at the V&A

Coat

1750-1759 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Plain pewter buttons with a simple, machine-engraved design adorn this modest 1750s coat made of fustian (a fabric composed of a linen warp and cotton weft). The engraving process used on the button was known as engine turning, by which the motif was incised with a pattern disc, called a rosette, attached to a lathe. Repeating the engraving in concentric circles on these buttons gave depth and texture to the trefoil pattern. Engine turning was used for ivory and boxwood in the 17th century, and by the 18th century it was a popular method of decoration for metals, including buttons and silver boxes.

This humble coat is thought to have been made for a bridegroom. It is well worn and was clearly a much-used garment for years after the event, illustrating the restrained tastes and economical habits of the English middle class in the 18th century.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Linen, cotton, pewter; hand-woven fustian, hand-sewn, engine-turned
Brief description
A man's coat, 1750s, British; Tan fustian twill, incised pewter buttons
Physical description
A man's coat of tan fustian twill. It has a round neckline with a standing collar (3.7 cm). The two-piece, shaped sleeves fit moderately closely, ending above the wrist with a round closed cuff (13 cm at top, 14.5 cm at bottom). The coat fronts curve from neck to chest and continue straight to the hem. It is fitted to the torso, with wide skirts below the hip, arranged in one pleat at the front and one at the back (11 cm deep). At the centre back opening of the skirts, the left back overlaps the right back. There is a v-shaped pocket flap at hip level on each coat front. The pockets are lined with a different weave and darker brown fustian; the rest of the coat with unbleached linen. The front edges are interlined with buckram. Ten flat pewter buttons, engine-turned in a trefoil pattern, correspond to 10 buttonholes on the left. There is a pewter button a the top of the pleats and another holding front and back together above the hem (missing on the left side), on each side. Two more buttons are sewn to the back pleat (one missing on the right side, both on the left).

The lining of the collar has been removed.
Dimensions
  • Collar to hem at centre front length: 96.0cm (approx)
  • Chest under armholes circumference: 105.5cm (approx)
Production typeUnique
Credit line
Given by James Potter, Esq., Master-Tailor of Derby
Object history
This coat is said to have been the wedding coat of an ancestor of the donor, James Potter Esquire (who was the Master Tailor of Derby). The ancestor, who lived at Quarndon near Derby, is described as James Potter's great-uncle's grandfather.
Summary
Plain pewter buttons with a simple, machine-engraved design adorn this modest 1750s coat made of fustian (a fabric composed of a linen warp and cotton weft). The engraving process used on the button was known as engine turning, by which the motif was incised with a pattern disc, called a rosette, attached to a lathe. Repeating the engraving in concentric circles on these buttons gave depth and texture to the trefoil pattern. Engine turning was used for ivory and boxwood in the 17th century, and by the 18th century it was a popular method of decoration for metals, including buttons and silver boxes.

This humble coat is thought to have been made for a bridegroom. It is well worn and was clearly a much-used garment for years after the event, illustrating the restrained tastes and economical habits of the English middle class in the 18th century.
Bibliographic reference
Hart, Avril and Susan North, Historical Fashion in Detail: The 17th and 18th Centuries, London: V&A Publications, 1998, p. 118
Collection
Accession number
T.962-1919

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdAugust 16, 2006
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest