Man's red woollen coat and waistcoat lined with blue twill weave silk, ca.1770; cloth covered buttons decorated with foil. Possibly made in France or the Netherlands.

Man's red woollen coat (broadcloth/draps fin) and waistcoat lined with pale-blue silk twill (serge de soie). A small running stitch outlines the edge of the coat, waistcoat and their pocket flaps. Buttons covered in red foil and embroidered with silver spangles and silver thread. The button band is strengthened with some kind of stiffening which is sewn down about 4.5cm from the outer edge with a similarly expert running stitch which is nearly invisible.

Purchased from a sale at Christies on 14 July 1992 from a Collection of Costume, Property of a Gentleman, cat. 2, p. 4. Registered File number 1992/1253. Original description of coat and waistcoat attributed the former to the Netherlands and the latter to France. There is no documentation to explain this split provenance, nor any internal evidence within the objects themselves.

This coat and waistcoat probably originally belonged to a three piece suit, of which the breeches are mssing. It is a high class garment, beautifully made to measure, and probably appropriate for use in an urban or country house setting.

The broadcloth is of a quality woven in different places in Europe - in the Netherlands in Leiden; in France, in Abbeville, Elfbeuf, Louviers, or Sedan; in England in the West Country and Yorkshire. It is a high quality fulled cloth, probably made from merino wool imported from Spain. The colour may have been achieved by one of a number of dyeing methods, probably using cochineal.

The buttons are very similar to those illustrated in Diderot's Encylopédie in the section on the button and braidmaker (boutonnier/passementier), plate VI, figs. 1, 2, 3, 4.

The cut of both coat and waistcoat conforms closely to the patterns illustrated in Diderot's Encyclopédie in the section on the tailor (tailleur d'habits), plates V-VII.

A suit of this type would have been appropriate for smart day wear for a man-about-town, its buttons adding a little sparkle to an otherwise plain ensemble, its contrasting lining providing a hint of sumptuousness as the man promenaded or visited the most fashionable venues.

It is likely that the cloth was purchased from a specialist woollen draper (marchand drapier) who acquired stocks of different qualities and colours of wool to sell to prospective clients. Once the cloth had been selected, the customer would have had his tailor make up his suit to measure. Sometimes tailors purchased the fabrics on behalf of their customers.

T.214:1, 2-1992