Browse Items (478 total)

Fashion plates are generalized portraits that depict the style of clothes that a dressmaker, store, or tailor can manufacture or supply. They can also show how various materials can be used to make garments. These illustrations played a substantial…

This vest was owned by Mr. Charles Bacon (1887-1953). The front of the vest is a cotton dobby weave, featuring a tan, medium gray and light gray design. It has four shiny shank buttons and two welt pockets. The shawl collar does not extend around to…

This single-breasted vest, of a black satin weave, has a shawl collar, and six buttons covered with the same fabric as the vest front. The black fabric has a floral design embossed along the collar and front where it could be seen. Two pockets are…

This vest belonged to the father of the donor, Ray S. Oatly, Jr. Her grandmother's wedding dress, dated to 1801 or 1802, was in the same donation. Ray Jr. was her youngest son, and he would have worn the vest as a young man, which suggests that it…

This dark blue silk satin vest was constructed in the early nineteenth century, around the year 1810. Made with a undyed and unbleached linen back and the satin front lined with linen, the double-breasted vest has six sets of small covered buttons…

In the nineteenth century, men wore vests under a coat or jacket, be it a tailcoat, frock coat, morning coat, or sack coat. Worn over a shirt, the garment was a staple for all men no matter the occasion or occupation. This vest is made from a…

The vest is made of white cotton dobby weave fabric, backed and lined with a plain weave cotton. Embroidered flowers embellish the shawl collar and front edges of the vest. A small pocket with a curved opening decorates the upper left front. The…

This vest or waistcoat was worn by Charles William Schaffer at his 1840 wedding to Caroline Paulding. It is made of an off-white silk damask for the front and a plain weave, probably cotton, back and lining. It features five small buttons covered in…

This waistcoat is made from a black satin weave fabric with a back of a tan plain weave, and lining of a twill weave fabric. The single-breasted front, with a shawl collar, is heavily padded through the chest area. The waistcoat closes with five…

The waistcot front is made of a white corded fabric and has brown leaves printed on with a roller printing machine. The lining and back of the vest are made of hand woven linen. The garment is double-breasted, cut straight across the bottom, and has…