Description:
Man's navy blue wool, cut-away tailcoat. The sobriety of this garment is matched by a high degree of tailoring. As such, it is an example of a man's well-tailored coat from the early 19th century that uses a sturdy and elegant woolen broadcloth. Two pockets are cleverly integrated into the construction of the tails; the proper left pocket is inside the tail, the proper right is accessed outside through a fold in the skirt. The coat's construction features a double-breasted front closure that functions in either direction (can be buttoned right over left or left over right. The body of the coat tapers in at the waistline. A high, turned down collar and M-notched lapels would have framed the wearer's face. Through a combination of cut, manipulation of the broadcloth, and the use of two interfacings, the collar and lapels are quite high; their turn-over is aided by several rows of stab stitching visible on the underside. The coat front and edges are also interlined. The sides of the coat are interfaced with batting, lined with a brown, twill-weave silk or cotton, and all these layers are held together with diagonal running stitches. The sleeve heads are slightly gathered, and the sleeve cuffs, fashionably long to extend just to the wearer's knuckles, are faced with more of the brown twill-weave fabric. The sleeves themselves are lined with off-white, twill-weave cotton, and this fabric also lines the pockets. Additional inserts of the brown, twill-weave fabric are placed at the lower inside of the armscye, inside the coat between the lining and the fashion fabric. These may have been to protect the garment from perspiration stains, and their removal and replacement was likely factored into the construction. Likewise, the absence of a center back lining in the body of the coat, and the complexity of the rest of the garment's construction, suggest that any taking in or letting out happened at the coat's center back seam. The dome-shaped buttons, probably wooden, are likely original and covered with a black (faded to brown), twill-weave silk or undertermined fabric. The buttons are in two sizes, a larger (about 7/8") for the body, and smaller (about 3/8") to fasten the cuffs. Decorative larger buttons are also placed at the top of the skirt pleats in back.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+87.834 |
