Fashion2Fiber

1750-1769, Man's Velvet Suit

Description

Rust color silk velvet three piece suit (coat, vest/waistcoat, breeches) with beige and black floral voided pattern--beige floral sprigs outlined in black against a black brickwork pattern ground

a) knee length collarless coat with long sleeves having 5" deep turn-back cuffs added to bottom of sleeve; two inset hip pockets with shaped pocket flaps; front, cuffs and pocket flaps all have thread-worked faux button holes with corresponding gold textured tombac metal buttons with wood backs and yarn 'shanks'. Back skirt pleats decorated with a button at top and secured with a button at bottom, creating a slit. The coat body has chest padding and is lined with off-white silk and underlined with a loosely-woven off-white wild silk; the sleeves have a linen lining.

b) below waist length matching collarless vest/waistcoat with smaller (3/4" dia.) similarly textured gold color metal buttons with decorated metal backs and shanks; shaped pocket flaps at hips with 4 buttons (may originally have been working pockets); off-white cotton canvas back and back lining, with trapezoidal pieces of fuzzy cotton (flannel?) twill weave at lower back; off-white linen tabs hand-sewn to vest back with gold color metal buckle attached to proper left tab; off-white silk front, collar and skirt facing; front of vest flat-lined with white linen--having 2-3" strip of white wool plain weave padding above pocket flap between linen and silk facing (now only on proper left); back of vest and lower front show signs of alteration--center back seam split and enlarged, enlarging godets between back and sides at upper side seams, replacement silk facing lower left front.

c) Matching knee breeches with self covered button fly and hand-worked buttonhole front closure and front double pockets held closed with a self covered button; waistband 4.5" center front reducing to 3.25" center back; back waistband has replacement velvet 7.25" proper right and 6" proper left; 3 buttons on CF waistband, 2 replacement fabric buttons lower front fly closure; back waistband and top of breeches split 5" total; evidence of waistband ties (missing); full back seat of trousers gathered into waistband; breeches lined with fuzzy cotton 2:1 twill; interior waistband pocket right front; bottoms of breeches longer in front and cut out in back to accommodate bending knee; button closures match vest buttons; buttonholes faced with off-white silk.

Source

HCT.1999.43.1abc

Date

1750-1765

Relation

Additional fiber images and information available at the CAMEO Materials Database at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.

Provenance

This ensemble was purchased at auction.

Design Elements

Two-Piece Tailored Sleeve, Knickers/Knee Pants

Fiber/Fabric Information

The velvet is a silk while the garment contains, silk, cotton and flax in various parts of the lining.

Decade

1750-1765

Color

Brown light, Orange brown

Files

1999.43.1abc F.jpg
1999.43.1abc LF.jpg
1999.43.1abc L.jpg
1999.43.1abc LB.jpg
1999.43.1abc B.jpg
1999.43.1abc RB.jpg
1999.43.1abc R.jpg
1999.43.1abc RF.jpg
interiorcoatconstruction.jpg
interiorcoatconstruction2.jpg
coat buttons.jpg
coat button top.jpg
coat button back.jpg
vest closures.jpg
vestreprobutton1.jpg
inside coat skirt piecing detail.jpg
textile1.jpg
textile2.jpg
trouserclosure.jpg
trouserinterior.jpg
touserspocket.jpg
trouserspocket2.jpg
trouserbottom.jpg
Silk Fiber
Silk Fiber
Silk Fiber
Silk Fiber

Collection

Citation

“1750-1769, Man's Velvet Suit,” Fashion2Fiber, accessed March 28, 2024, http://fashion2fiber.osu.edu/items/show/1096.