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Waistcoat

1790-1799 (made), 1865-1975 (altered)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Man's waistcoat with a 1⅝-inch (4 cm) standing collar, revers, welted pockets, straight fronts and hems, hip length. The fronts, collar, pocket welts and revers are made of white silk with broad stripes of twill and satin, painted with purple lozenges applied with warp-frame silk net and embroidered with diagonal trails of leaves and flowers in shades of green, blue and pink. The fronts and pockets are lined with linen, the fronts faced with white silk taffeta. A ⅞-inch (2 cm) wide border of silk striped with black cut velvet, white satin stripes and satin striped in colours, cut on the diagonal, is applied to the collars, revers, pocket welts, front edges and hems. The waistcoat is embroidered with silver spangles on the black velvet of the border; silver spangles outline the purple lozenges and spangles and glass paste highlight the embroidered pattern. There are 11 worked buttonholes along the left front edge (the top one covered by the revers) and 8 (3 missing) embroidered buttons on the right front edge.

The waistcoat was altered in the 19th century, probably for theatre costume; the back was replaced.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silk, linen, silver, glass; hand-woven, hand-painted, hand-embroidered, hand-sewn
Brief description
Man's waistcoat, 1790s, French; striped white silk satin, embroidered, painted, applied net and velvet braid, altered 1865-75
Physical description
Man's waistcoat with a 1⅝-inch (4 cm) standing collar, revers, welted pockets, straight fronts and hems, hip length. The fronts, collar, pocket welts and revers are made of white silk with broad stripes of twill and satin, painted with purple lozenges applied with warp-frame silk net and embroidered with diagonal trails of leaves and flowers in shades of green, blue and pink. The fronts and pockets are lined with linen, the fronts faced with white silk taffeta. A ⅞-inch (2 cm) wide border of silk striped with black cut velvet, white satin stripes and satin striped in colours, cut on the diagonal, is applied to the collars, revers, pocket welts, front edges and hems. The waistcoat is embroidered with silver spangles on the black velvet of the border; silver spangles outline the purple lozenges and spangles and glass paste highlight the embroidered pattern. There are 11 worked buttonholes along the left front edge (the top one covered by the revers) and 8 (3 missing) embroidered buttons on the right front edge.

The waistcoat was altered in the 19th century, probably for theatre costume; the back was replaced.
Dimensions
  • Weight: 0.48kg
  • Top of right collar to hem length: 64.0cm (approx)
  • Chest under armholes circumference: 97.5cm (approx)
Collection
Accession number
1160-1877

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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