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Man's Waistcoat
Embroidered 1780s; altered 1795–1805
- Medium
- Front: Silk, satin-weave foundation, embroidered with silk thread in satin, steam and buttonhole stitches and French knots; embroidered fabric covered buttons; silk, twill weave lining; back: linen, plain weave
- Classification
- Costume and Accessories
- Dimensions
- 66.3 × 66.7 cm (26 1/8 × 26 1/4 in.)
- Culture
- France
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago, Textiles
- Credit line
- Gift of Dr. Frank W. Gunsaulus to the Frances Kinsley Hutchinson Collection
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the Art Institute of Chicago
About this work
European men wore waistcoats, or vests, with jackets and knee breeches. Fashion dictated that the design and color of the waistcoat fabric should contrast with the matching suit. Colorful floral sprigs, bouquets, and leafy vines produce a lively yet elegant pattern. The buttons on this waistcoat are covered with small circles embroidered to match the pattern of the garment’s textile. The back is a plain, inexpensive linen fabric, as it would not be seen when worn under a jacket. The waistcoat has been shortened from its original shape, an example of reuse that attests to the textile's value.
Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0
