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Waistcoat

1780-1785 (made), 1870-1910 (altered)
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 cream silk satin striped with silver-gilt. The waistcoat fronts and pocket flaps are lined with ivory silk twill, the pockets with bleached linen. The waistcoat is brocaded-to-shape with silver-gilt strip and green silk thread, and embroidered with silver spangles, foil and purl and red foil, in a pattern of flowers, leaves and twisting ribbon, on the pocket flaps, front edges and hems and below the pockets. Two rows of silk cord are couched on the pocket flaps, front edges and hems and around the front neck. There are 13 worked buttonholes along the left front, with 12 (1 missing) silver-gilt passementerie buttons on the right front.

The waistcoat was in the late 19th century, probably for theatre costume or a studio prop; the back was replaced, the top buttonhole stitched up and the bottom 3 buttons replaced.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silk, linen, silver, gold, enamel; hand-woven, brocaded, hand-embroidered, hand-sewn
Brief description
Man's waistcoat, 1775-85, French; Silver-gilt tissue, woven-to-shape, brocaded and embroidered with foil, spangles, altered 1870-1910
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 cream silk satin striped with silver-gilt. The waistcoat fronts and pocket flaps are lined with ivory silk twill, the pockets with bleached linen. The waistcoat is brocaded-to-shape with silver-gilt strip and green silk thread, and embroidered with silver spangles, foil and purl and red foil, in a pattern of flowers, leaves and twisting ribbon, on the pocket flaps, front edges and hems and below the pockets. Two rows of silk cord are couched on the pocket flaps, front edges and hems and around the front neck. There are 13 worked buttonholes along the left front, with 12 (1 missing) silver-gilt passementerie buttons on the right front.

The waistcoat was in the late 19th century, probably for theatre costume or a studio prop; the back was replaced, the top buttonhole stitched up and the bottom 3 buttons replaced.
Dimensions
  • Right shoulder to hem length: 77.0cm (approx)
  • Chest under armholes circumference: 106.0cm (approx)
Credit line
Given by Messrs Harrods
Object history
Talbot Hughes collection
Collection
Accession number
T.1056-1913

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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