Man's Waistcoat

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Subject

Clothing and Dress

Title

Man's Waistcoat

Date

1840

Format

Length: 18 inches (46.5 cm)
Waist: 14.5 inches (37 cm)

Description

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 the same fabric as the vest's front, and three welt pockets.

The waistcoat is entirely hand sewn. As with other waistcoats of this time, before the use of sewing machines, the stitches are very close together indicating a high degree of sewing skill. Stitching on this garment is 20 to 22 stitches per inch, and the tailor or sewer used both the outline and backstitch to create the fine sewing.

The back has two methods for adjusting the size, a pair of ties as well as a wide tab with three pairs of lacings sewn into the sides.

Compared to vests on the Metropolitan Museum of Art's website, white or off-white silk damask was a popular choice for wedding vests in the 1830s and 1840s.

References

“Wedding Vest." 1830s. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Accessed December 6, 2022. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/90941

“Wedding Vest." 1840-1849. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Accessed December 6, 2022. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/159356.

“Wedding Vest." 1859. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Accessed December 6, 2022. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/91071

Source

Donor: Eleanor Parmelee

Identifier

URI 1957.02.01

Contributor

Ella Fink

Citation

“Man's Waistcoat,” Historic Textile and Costume Collection, accessed March 29, 2024, https://uritextilecollection.omeka.net/items/show/545.