Description:
Man's coat made from natural-colored worsted wool, and whose design features include prominent cuffs, large, non-functional buttons, and long skirts. This garment is an important example of a man's mid 18th-century coat that was made with recycled elements, and that has been altered at least once during it's fashionable life, in addition to probable later ones in the 19th century. The coat was constructed with wide cuffs that were shortened at some point after its initial life. Facings inside one of the cuffs reveal reuse here as well; old button holes are stitched up. Self-covered wooden buttons edge the front of the coat (proper right) and cuffs and hip pocket flaps. These do not function, and the front of the coat secures at the center with three hook and eye closures. The decorative button holes are not functional; they are stitched on top with matching linen or worsted thread. The presence of non-functioning welt pockets inside the front of the coat suggest a reused cotton/linen cotton coat or waistcoat was used to line this one. A stamp from Paris theatre company on the back lining. This coat, which was purchased by Helen Geier Flynt from dealer Juliet Niclausse on a trip to Paris in 1965, is thought to have been used sometime in the 19th century for theatrical costuming because of the costume house stamp on the inside lining. Original period garments were often purchased by theatre companies to use on the stage and later in films. Adhering to the fashionable silhouette of the day, this more humble, every-day coat is one of the earliest complete examples in the museum's collection.
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https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+F.523 |
