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Waistcoat thumbnail 2
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Not on display

Waistcoat

1775-1780 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Man’s waistcoat with a round neckline, curving fronts and skirts reaching to the top of the thigh. Each front has a pocket and pointed pocket flap. The fronts and pocket flaps are made of white silk satin, the back of white silk twill. The waistcoat and pockets are lined with fustian, pocket flaps with white silk satin; the skirt linings and front facings are white silk twill. The waistcoat is quilted with vertical lines of tambouring in silver-gilt filé and green silk thread. It is embroidered-to-shape with tambouring in silver-gilt filé and silk thread in shades of green and pink, and couched silver-gilt spangles, in a pattern of abstract floral sprigs, on the pocket flaps, front edges and hems and around the front neck. There are 12 worked buttonholes along the left front, with 12 embroidered buttons on the right front.

The waistcoat was altered for size in the 18th century; a triangle of glazed linen was stitched into the centre-back seam.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silk, linen, cotton, silver, gold; hand-woven, satin weave, hand-embroidered, tamboured, quilted, hand-sewn
Brief description
Man's waistcoat, 1775-80, British; white silk satin, quilted, tamboured with silk and silver thread, spangles
Physical description
Man’s waistcoat with a round neckline, curving fronts and skirts reaching to the top of the thigh. Each front has a pocket and pointed pocket flap. The fronts and pocket flaps are made of white silk satin, the back of white silk twill. The waistcoat and pockets are lined with fustian, pocket flaps with white silk satin; the skirt linings and front facings are white silk twill. The waistcoat is quilted with vertical lines of tambouring in silver-gilt filé and green silk thread. It is embroidered-to-shape with tambouring in silver-gilt filé and silk thread in shades of green and pink, and couched silver-gilt spangles, in a pattern of abstract floral sprigs, on the pocket flaps, front edges and hems and around the front neck. There are 12 worked buttonholes along the left front, with 12 embroidered buttons on the right front.

The waistcoat was altered for size in the 18th century; a triangle of glazed linen was stitched into the centre-back seam.
Dimensions
  • Right shoulder to hem length: 70.3cm (approx)
  • Chest under armholes circumference: 101.0cm (approx)
Collection
Accession number
T.132-1921

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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