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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 ivory silk taffeta. The waistcoat is lined with fustian and pockets with bleached linen; the skirt and pocket-flap linings and front facings are ivory silk taffeta. The waistcoat is embroidered-to-shape with silk floss in yellow and shades of blue, purple, pink and green, in a pattern of flowers and leaves, on the pocket flaps, front edges and hems, and below the pockets. The fronts are filled with repeated floral sprigs embroidered in silk floss. There are 11 worked buttonholes along the left front with 11 embroidered buttons on the right front and 3 below each pocket.

The waistcoat was altered for size, probably in the 18th century, a triangle of linen was inserted into the centre-back seam. In the late 19th century, probably for fancy dress or a studio prop, eyelets were added to each side of the centre-back seam, closed with a linen tape, and 3 pairs of linen tape ties were sewn to the backs.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silk, cotton, linen; hand-woven, hand-embroidered, hand-sewn
Brief description
Man's waistcoat, 1775-80, British; ivory silk taffeta, embroidered with coloured silks, 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 ivory silk taffeta. The waistcoat is lined with fustian and pockets with bleached linen; the skirt and pocket-flap linings and front facings are ivory silk taffeta. The waistcoat is embroidered-to-shape with silk floss in yellow and shades of blue, purple, pink and green, in a pattern of flowers and leaves, on the pocket flaps, front edges and hems, and below the pockets. The fronts are filled with repeated floral sprigs embroidered in silk floss. There are 11 worked buttonholes along the left front with 11 embroidered buttons on the right front and 3 below each pocket.

The waistcoat was altered for size, probably in the 18th century, a triangle of linen was inserted into the centre-back seam. In the late 19th century, probably for fancy dress or a studio prop, eyelets were added to each side of the centre-back seam, closed with a linen tape, and 3 pairs of linen tape ties were sewn to the backs.
Dimensions
  • Right shoulder to hem length: 71.0cm (approx)
  • Chest under armholes circumference: 101.0cm (approx)
Collection
Accession number
T.3-1936

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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