Waistcoat
1844-January 1845 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
In the early to mid-nineteenth century, cream or white silk waistcoats were popular for wedding wear. They were often embroidered, sometimes by family members or even by the future bride. A hand-written paper label sewn into this waistcoat links it to the marriage of John Montefiore and Julia Norman on the 28th January 1845. We have the white and silver figured silk waistcoat that John wore for the ceremony (see T.668-1919), so perhaps this waistcoat was embroidered by Julia as a wedding gift for her new husband.
The choice of forget-me-nots, which signify fidelity, would have been appropriate for a wedding waistcoat. John and Julia Montefiore's marriage lasted 50 years, ending only with their deaths in 1895.
The choice of forget-me-nots, which signify fidelity, would have been appropriate for a wedding waistcoat. John and Julia Montefiore's marriage lasted 50 years, ending only with their deaths in 1895.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | silk embroidered with coloured silks, lined glazed cotton |
| Brief description | Wedding waistcoat, 1845, English; white silk satin embroidered forget-me-nots. Worked by Miss Julia Norman |
| Physical description | White silk waistcoat embroidered with coloured silks and copper-gilt thread; a regularly spaced sprig motif of small blue forget-me-nots. Lined in pinkish cotton, 6 covered buttons down the front and turned-over collar. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Wedding Waistcoat
Worked by Miss Julia Norman
28th January 1845 (Hand-written label attached to inside of waistcoat front) |
| Credit line | Given by the Misses Montefiore in memory of the late John Montefiore, Esq. |
| Object history | This waistcoat was embroidered by Julia Norman and is associated with her marriage to Mr John Montefiore on the 28th January 1845. The wedding waistcoat, of silver and white brocaded silk, is generally 10cm smaller in size than this, suggesting that this was intended to be worn more regularly. There is also another even larger embroidered waistcoat (T.670-1919). The waistcoats were given to the V&A in 1919 by the Misses Montefiore in accordance with the wishes of his son (unclear whether he was their father or brother), also called John Montefiore (1851-1916) |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | In the early to mid-nineteenth century, cream or white silk waistcoats were popular for wedding wear. They were often embroidered, sometimes by family members or even by the future bride. A hand-written paper label sewn into this waistcoat links it to the marriage of John Montefiore and Julia Norman on the 28th January 1845. We have the white and silver figured silk waistcoat that John wore for the ceremony (see T.668-1919), so perhaps this waistcoat was embroidered by Julia as a wedding gift for her new husband. The choice of forget-me-nots, which signify fidelity, would have been appropriate for a wedding waistcoat. John and Julia Montefiore's marriage lasted 50 years, ending only with their deaths in 1895. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.669-1919 |
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| Record created | May 8, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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