Sleeveless coat
Sleeveless Coat
1850-1899 (made)
1850-1899 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
At first glance the decoration on this woman's coat seems extremely simple. Woven braid runs around the edges and covers most of the upper back. It sweeps down and around the hips and encircles the slit that gives access to a pocket in the underlying garment. Apart from several rows of silver cord that follow the same contours and are sandwiched between the braid, there is no further decoration.
But look closely at the braid and how it is attached. It has a weft in which a flat silver strip has been closely wound around a yellow silk core. While this creates the pattern and the glitter, it also makes the braid stiff and relatively inflexible. It would have been easy to stitch it along straight edges but on this coat the maker also applied it around the neck and armholes and, more dramatically, allowed it to follow the natural curves of the body. This required mitred joints at the corners and tight, secure gathering along the inner curves. These are both fairly complex techniques that have been achieved with great skill.
But look closely at the braid and how it is attached. It has a weft in which a flat silver strip has been closely wound around a yellow silk core. While this creates the pattern and the glitter, it also makes the braid stiff and relatively inflexible. It would have been easy to stitch it along straight edges but on this coat the maker also applied it around the neck and armholes and, more dramatically, allowed it to follow the natural curves of the body. This required mitred joints at the corners and tight, secure gathering along the inner curves. These are both fairly complex techniques that have been achieved with great skill.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | Sleeveless coat |
Materials and techniques | Woven silk, with brocaded details, trimmed with applied metal braid and cord |
Brief description | F, woven silk, 1870-1900, probably from Bosnia and Herzgovina |
Physical description | Woman's sleeveless coat, woven silk with brocaded details trimmed with applied metal braid and cord. Lined inside with pieced printed cotton fabric with a design of alternating bands of crimson flowers on a white ground, and white flowers on an orange ground. |
Dimensions |
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Credit line | Given by H. C. Game |
Summary | At first glance the decoration on this woman's coat seems extremely simple. Woven braid runs around the edges and covers most of the upper back. It sweeps down and around the hips and encircles the slit that gives access to a pocket in the underlying garment. Apart from several rows of silver cord that follow the same contours and are sandwiched between the braid, there is no further decoration. But look closely at the braid and how it is attached. It has a weft in which a flat silver strip has been closely wound around a yellow silk core. While this creates the pattern and the glitter, it also makes the braid stiff and relatively inflexible. It would have been easy to stitch it along straight edges but on this coat the maker also applied it around the neck and armholes and, more dramatically, allowed it to follow the natural curves of the body. This required mitred joints at the corners and tight, secure gathering along the inner curves. These are both fairly complex techniques that have been achieved with great skill. |
Bibliographic reference | Crill, Rosemary, Jennifer Wearden and Verity Wilson. Dress in Detail from Around the World. London: V&A Publications, 2002. 224 p., ill. ISBN 09781851773787. p. 152 |
Collection | |
Accession number | T.142-1928 |
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Record created | February 9, 2004 |
Record URL |
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