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Waistcoat

1795-1800 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

By the 1780s waistcoats had lost their skirts and were cut straight across at the lower hem for all but court dress. A small collar appeared, echoing the development of the coat collar, and by the 1790s it had grown to the generous size seen here, with large revers (lapels). The double-breasted style, in both coats and waistcoats, was also a fashion that began in the 1780s. With the new advances in spinning technology of the 1770s, cotton became an increasingly popular fabric. It was available in a wide variety of weights, from sheer muslin to heavy corduroy, and became a fashionable material for both men's and women’s clothing.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Cotton; hand-weaving, roller-printing, hand-sewing
Brief description
Man's waistcoat, 1795-1800, British; white cotton printed with brown and pink vertical stripes, and black diagonal lines
Physical description
Man's waistcoat with a turned down collar, revers, welted pockets, straight fronts and hems, reaching to the waist. The fronts, collar, pocket welts and revers are made of cotton, printed with a pattern of brown, pink and white vertical stripes, and a diagonal pattern of dotted black lines, the back of undyed cotton. The waistcoat is lined with undyed cotton. The waistcoat has a double-breasted effect with 11 self-covered buttons set back from 12 worked buttonholes on the left front and 12 self-covered buttons on the right front edge.
Dimensions
  • Weight: 0.50kg
  • Top of right collar to hem length: 57.0cm (approx)
  • Chest under armholes circumference: 98.5cm (approx)
Credit line
Given by Messrs Harrods Ltd.
Object history
Talbot Hughes collection
Summary
By the 1780s waistcoats had lost their skirts and were cut straight across at the lower hem for all but court dress. A small collar appeared, echoing the development of the coat collar, and by the 1790s it had grown to the generous size seen here, with large revers (lapels). The double-breasted style, in both coats and waistcoats, was also a fashion that began in the 1780s. With the new advances in spinning technology of the 1770s, cotton became an increasingly popular fabric. It was available in a wide variety of weights, from sheer muslin to heavy corduroy, and became a fashionable material for both men's and women’s clothing.
Collection
Accession number
T.1082-1913

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Record createdMarch 1, 2003
Record URL
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