Physical description

Man’s waistcoat with a round neck, curving 2-piece sleeves, curved fronts and skirts reaching to between the top of the knee and mid-thigh. Each front has a pocket and pointed pocket flap. The fronts, back skirts, pocket flaps and cuffs are made of pale yellow silk taffeta with a chequered weave; the sleeves of yellow silk satin and the back pieced with yellow silk satin and yellow silk/linen. The waistcoat and sleeves are lined with linen twill; the skirts with ivory worsted, the linings of the pockets, pocket flaps and cuffs and front facings are ivory silk twill. The fronts are woven-to-shape with silver thread, frisé, strip and silk threads in white, black and shades of green red, pink, blue and purple, in a pattern of large flowers and leaves, along the front edges and hems. There is a seam at the waist of each front, where the woven pattern was cut, possibly to adjust for length. There are 17 worked buttonholes on a strip of the yellow taffeta under the left front edge and 1 on each cuff. There are 17 corresponding buttons of silver passementerie on the right front, 5 below each pocket and 1 on each cuff.

The separate pocket flaps are scalloped and made of the yellow chequered silk taffeta. Each is brocaded-to-shape with silver thread, frisé and the same coloured silks as the waistcoat. The design is an adaptation of that on the waistcoat. It appears that these were not used on the waistcoat, which instead has pocket flaps made of 2 pieces taken from the front border.

Place of Origin

Spitalfields (weaving)
Great Britain (made)

Date

1740-1749 (made)

Artist/maker

Unknown

Materials and Techniques

Silk, linen, wool, silver; hand-woven, brocaded, satin weave hand-sewn

Dimensions

Length: 99.0 cm right shoulder to hem approx, Circumference: 110.5 cm chest under armholes approx

Descriptive line

Man's waistcoat and pair of pocket flaps, 1740s, British; yellow taffeta brocaded with silver and silk, Spitalfields

Materials

Silk taffeta; Silk (textile); Worsted; Linen (material); Silver thread

Techniques

Hand weaving; Satin weave; Brocading; Hand sewing

Categories

Men's clothes; Formal wear; Fashion; Textiles; Embroidery; Europeana Fashion Project

Collection

Textiles and Fashion Collection