Waistcoat thumbnail 1
Waistcoat thumbnail 2
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images
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
South Asia Gallery, Room 41

Waistcoat

c.1770-1775 (made), 19th century (made), c.19th century (made)
Place of origin

The British market tended to prefer chintz with white backgrounds and delicate floral motifs. This waistcoat was made in the 19th century from 18th-century fabric. The all-over pattern of the fabric meant that it could be cut into any kind of garment,unlike customised fabric where the patterning was designed to be made into specific garments.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Cotton, mordant and resist-dyed (chintz); lined with linen
Brief description
Waistcoat, mordant-dyed and resist-dyed cotton (chintz), Coromandel Coast for the British market 1770-1775; tailored in 1800s; Textiles; Clothing
Physical description
Waistcoat of mordant and resist-dyed cotton (chintz). White ground, with an all-over repeating pattern of delicate scrolling stems bearing a variety of flowers, fruit and foliage, with butterflies. Flowerheads composed of very spiky rosettes. The colours of the design are reds, pink, violet, and two shades of blue. No yellow surviving. The waistcoat is fairly long, single-breasted, with three pockets. It is lined with white linen having a woven pattern of delicate pink and blue cross-stripes, creating the effect of a violet openwork chequer pattern.
Dimensions
  • Height: 86cm
  • Width: 117.5cm
Gallery label
  • WAISTCOAT Cotton, mordant- and resist-dyed Coromandel Coast for the British market Fabric c. 1750-75 The British market tended to prefer chintz with white backgrounds and delicate floral motifs. This waistcoat was made in the 19th century from 18th-century fabric. The all-over pattern of the fabric meant that it could be cut into any kind of garment, unlike customised fabric where the patterning was designed to be made into specific garments.(01/08/2017)
  • Waistcoat painted and dyed cotton Coromandel Coast, South-east India, for the English market The fabric c. 1750-75; made up as a waistcoat in the 19th century IS 20-1976(13/10/1992-17/01/2003)
Object history
When acquired, the waistcoat was accompanied by another, of identical material and lining fabric, but cut in a short style which was passed onto the Calico Museum.
Summary
The British market tended to prefer chintz with white backgrounds and delicate floral motifs. This waistcoat was made in the 19th century from 18th-century fabric. The all-over pattern of the fabric meant that it could be cut into any kind of garment,unlike customised fabric where the patterning was designed to be made into specific garments.
Bibliographic reference
Crill, Rosemary, Chintz: Indian Textiles for the West, London, 2008. Crill, Rosemary. Chintz : Indian textiles for the West London: V&A Publishing, 2008, Cat. No. 77, p. 31, illus. p. 127.
Collection
Accession number
IS.20-1976

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Record createdJanuary 16, 2003
Record URL
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