Vest

Unknown

1810–19 · silk, linen · Costume Institute

Waistcoats of the 18th and 19th centuries served as a layer protection and ornamentation during a period in fashion when the coat was intended to be left open in the front. The color was often chosen to complement the suit and covered in imaginative embroideries, heavily woven patterns or shiny satins made to draw the eye. The style of the neck, the length and the hem treatment fluctuated as the tastes changed from over-sized coats of the early 18th century to narrow tightly fitted coats of the late 18th century and onward. This vest is exemplary of the shape and cut from the early 19th century with its stand collar, long unfitted length and long row of buttons.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1810–19

Medium

silk, linen

Culture

probably British

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of the International Business Machine Corporation, 1960