“Dr Maturin is waiting for you, Di,” said Cecilia. “He is walking his horse up and down in a fine new bottle-green coat with a black collar. And he has a new tie-wig. I suppose that is why he went up to London.” – Cecilia Williams to Diana Villers, Post Captain
Embroidered Suit, France, c. 1790
Coat of blue and green striped silk taffeta and satin; fold-back standing collar; cut-away from hem; waistcoat of silk faille with Roman-like arch embroidered showing a country scene; wing collar. Courtesy of the Kyoto Costume Institute.
Man's Suit (Habit à la Française), France, c. 1790
Three piece set of coat, waistcoat, and breeches; coat and waistcoat of blue striped uncut velvet with sequins and glass jewels; embroidery of metallic thread, self-fabric-wrapped buttons; waistcoat of white figured silk. Courtesy of the Kyoto Costume Institute.
Dress Coat, England or Spain, 1790-1800
Blue silk coat with cutaway front, embroidered with sprays of stylized flowers and leaves in yellow, green, pink and cream silk. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Dress Coat, England or Spain, 1790-1800
Blue silk coat with cutaway front, embroidered with sprays of stylized flowers and leaves in yellow, green, pink and cream silk. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Dress Coat, England or Spain, 1790-1800
Blue silk coat with cutaway front, embroidered with sprays of stylized flowers and leaves in yellow, green, pink and cream silk. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Coat, France, 1790's
Green silk, double breasted. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Coat, France, 1790's
Green silk, double breasted. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Coat, France, 1790's
Standing collar detail. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Court Suit, England or Scotland, c. 1800
Silk, cotton, chenille and silk thread, pleated, hand-sewn, hand-embroidered, and later machine stitched, and with linen pockets and lined with satin. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Court Suit, England or Scotland, c. 1800
Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Court Suit, England or Scotland, c. 1800
Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Court Suit, England or Scotland, c. 1800
Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Court Suit, England or Scotland, c. 1800
Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Court Suit, England or Scotland, c. 1800
Elaborate embroidery finishes a court suit, c. 1800. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Hat, Britain or France, c. 1800
Hat, Britain or France, c. 1800
Suit, England, 1795-1800
Black wool with cut steel buttons. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Suit, England, 1795-1800
Black wool with cut steel buttons. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Suit, England, 1795-1800
Black wool with cut steel buttons. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Coat and Waistcoat, England, 1795-1805
Mauve woolen broadcloth, linen, silk. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Coat and Waistcoat, England, 1795-1805
Mauve woolen broadcloth, linen, silk. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Coat and Waistcoat, England, 1795-1805
Mauve woolen broadcloth, linen, silk. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Coat and Waistcoat, England, 1795-1805
Mauve woolen broadcloth, linen, silk. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Court Coat and Waistcoat, England, c. 1800
Purple silk velvet coat and cream silk satin waistcoat embroidered in colored silks, possibly worn by the actor Tate Wilkinson. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Court Coat and Waistcoat, England, c. 1800
Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Court Coat and Waistcoat, England, c. 1800
Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
"Incroyable" Ensemble, France, 1795-1805
This double-breasted coat, with its high collar, large revers and oversized buttons, demonstrates the exaggerated style of the late 1790s. Poplin, lined with cotton, with cut-steel buttons, hand-sewn. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
"Incroyable" Ensemble, France, 1795-1805
Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Boy's Skeleton Suit, England, 1800-05
Boy's skeleton suit of a pale yellowish cloth known as nankeen. The jacket has elbow length sleeves and a button through front, the trousers ankle length legs and a button through small fall front. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Boy's Skeleton Suit, England, 1800-05
Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Embroidered Court Suit, France, c. 1810
This three piece suit is exemplary of skilled French embroidery and the silhouette of men's court wear during the time of Napoleon Bonaparte. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Embroidered Court Suit, France, c. 1810
This three piece suit is exemplary of skilled French embroidery and the silhouette of men's court wear during the time of Napoleon Bonaparte. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Embroidered Court Suit, France, c. 1810
Matching embroidery on the wasitcoat and coat emphasize that this is a suit of clothes. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Cotton Boy's Suit, American, c. 1810
Small in scale, rich as documentation, this boy's suit in the New Republic double-breasted, cutaway style with trousers (not breeches) and with cream muslin jabot echoes the male style for new citizens. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Cotton Boy's Suit, American, c. 1810
Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Cotton Boy's Suit, American, c. 1810
Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Cotton Boy's Suit, American, c. 1810
Boy's striped waistcoat. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Cotton Boy's Suit, American, c. 1810
Boy's cream muslin jabot. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Summer Coat, America, c. 1815
The shaping of this linen cutaway tailcoat is the counterpart of womenswear of the period with its high waist, breadth at the shoulders, and emphasis on the chest. As many have observed, menswear of this period, just before the Great Male Renunciation when men spurned any of the ostensible signs of fashion, was acutely responsive to womenswear. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Summer Coat, America, c. 1815
Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Summer Coat, America, c. 1815
Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Summer Coat, America, c. 1815
Detail of the woven linen fabric. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Hunting Coat, Britain, 1810-20
Woolen superfine cloth and metal buttons, part-lined with woven sateen and cotton, hand-sewn. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Hunting Coat, Britain, 1810-20
Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Day suit, 1800-17
The sombre colour of this suit befits the sober profession of its wearer, Thomas Coutts, the founder of Coutts Bank. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Day suit, 1800-17
Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Day suit, 1800-17
Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Day suit, 1800-17
Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Coat, Waistcoat and Cravat, Britain, 1815-20
Wool cutaway coat with long tight sleeves, puffed at the shoulder, a style typical of the period 1815-20. The roll collar has an M-shape notch, introduced about 1803, and a waist seam. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert museum.
Daywear, Britain, 1815-20
Wool cutaway coat with long tight sleeves, puffed at the shoulder, a style typical of the period 1815-20. The roll collar has an M-shape notch, introduced about 1803, and a waist seam. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert museum.
Court Suit, 1810-20
Court Suit, 1810-20
Court Suit, 1810-20
Cut-steel buttons on a court suit, 1810-1820
Court Suit, France or Italy, 1800-10
Court dress for men in the early 19th century retained many features of 18th-century dress. Silk velvet lined with silk, quilted. Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
All images and background information courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum unless otherwise noted.
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