¾ length cream wool coat, decorated with metallic gold braid and fringe, 1890s. Worn by the acrobat Pansy Chinery (1879-1969).

¾ length cream wool collarless coat. The coat has a soft round neckline and long sleeves. It follows the line of the body from the shoulder to the waist, flaring out slightly from this point over the hips.

The coat is decorated with lengths of soft crimson wool, enclosed within thick borders of metallic gold braid. This trimming has been used to edge the neckline, front opening and hem. It also features on the sleeves, on the rear coat panels and across the top of the pocket flaps (there are no functional pockets beneath them). The base of these pocket flaps are also edged with a length of hanging gold metallic fringe.

The centre back waist is defined with a band of interlinked diamond shaped lengths of metal braid, with two ‘tassels’ of gold fringe positioned at the proper left and proper right side of this diamond pattern.

The proper left front shoulder is embellished with a heavy thick gold metallic cord. Hanging lengths of the same cord loop round and over the proper left shoulder.

The coat fastens at the centre front with a vertical row of 17 circular brass buttons on the proper right side of the centre front opening. There are 9 matching thread bound button holes running down the top section of proper left side.

The interior of the coat is faced with panels of cream cotton. There is a fabric hanging loop at the interior of the neckline. Beneath this there is a maker’s label (with black ink printed on a cream cotton tape ground). This label reads: ‘B.J. SIMMONS & Co. 1&8 KING ST. COVENT GARDEN’.

Given by Ralph Chinery

¾ length cream wool coat, decorated with metallic gold braid and fringe, 1890s. Worn by the acrobat Pansy Chinery (1879-1969).

S.382-1988