Antique 18th - early 19thC gents silk formal ensemble - waistcoat & breeches [B]

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Antique 18th - early 19thC gents silk formal ensemble - waistcoat & breeches [B]:
$213.83

I have a refund policy. Please read the details at the foot of this page.IMPORTANT!If you are not able to read English fluently, please use Google Translate to ensure you understand the description thoroughly.

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Welcome to the Gentlemans Department at Poppies Cottage Virtual Department Store. A Small and Exclusive Department for Gentlemen of Taste and Refinement!

This is a fascinating gentleman\'s waistcoat & breeches setfrom a 3-piece matching ensemble. The coat isbeing reluctantly sold separately, because they are all in poor condition and most suited for study purposes, so I am trying to keep the price in line with students of historic costume. However I will be delighted if you want to buy them all together and will of course, refund any excess shipping costs to you immediately via Paypal.
Whilst I have examined many 18th Century garments, I am far more confident with ladies clothing than men\'s. Almost every aspect of this suit tells me it dates to the circa 1770\'s EXCEPT for the breeches. They do not have a fall front.

Please note that I have been contacted by a collector friend who says that it is possible that this suit is French. She thinks that the French wore straight fly fronts to their breeches, and that they thought the English, with their fall front breeches, were \'unhygenic\'!Just a thought. We still don\'t know.

So it is possiblethat this suit was made with 18th Century fabric but is actually an early 19th Century ceremonial suit of some kind.
You will need to study and decide for yourself.
Picture references and quotes for this item are taken from:
\'Seventeenth and Eighteenth - Century. Fashion in Detail.\' Avril Hart and Susan North. V & A Publication. Pages 126/127 1998. \'A man\'s coat of wool trimmed with tassled frogging in silver thread and silver spangles, English, 1770\'s\'.
QUOTE: The silver thread and silver spangle frogging \'would have swayed in the most beguiling manner when the wearer moved......The combination of silver threads and spangles provide a shimmering effect, and would have been especially effective in candle light.\'
I so agree and this three-piece has exactly the same frogging decoration to the coat &waistcoat! [See photograph].
The silk of this suitis completely in line with the 2nd half of the 18th Century, a glorious sea blue green in a light to medium weight. My camera has \'washed out\' the true colour.
The suit is interlined in coarse linen, again totally appropriate for the 18th Century, and the outer lining, although not fustian, looks right for the period.
So does all of the fine stitching.
Only the breeches make me question the age.
___________
The waistcoat & breeches.
Early breeches are rare and these breeches are in the best condition of the set, so they may be very useful in their own right and certainly useful for display with 18th Century clothing.
However, they are the one aspect of the suit that I cannot date because they do not have a fall front. I have found one 18th Century pair of leather breeches without a fall front in the Met Museum collection, but only one!
So, starting with the waistcoat, trimmed with the lovely frogging described above, and fastening with hidden hooks andeyes that certainly existed in the 18th Century [see, for example, the 1760\'s court suit shown & described in \'Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in Detail 1700-1915\' P41 \'1765\'. Los Angeles County Museum of Art. 2010]
All spangle frogging is present, and charmingly, I found two spare and very fresh ones in the true pockets that have gone with the coat!
There is a probable grease mark to one upper front side. There are also dark general patches of staining to each of the front sides. There are modest underarm stains with associated early shattering.
The lining and back are sound but with general discolouration.
Front length 26\" to lower points. Back length 19\". Chest approx 35\".
The silver braid is all present with some discolouration.
The breeches are, as I said, in the best condition of the three, but still have overall patchy staining.
As you see, the centre back gently rises, and there is a brown cotton insertion at centre back waist [early breeches used to have ties to adjust size] which appears very early.
All metal waist buttons are present. The buttons at the legs are silk covered and all present [good condition]. The leg buckles have rust and the buckle tabs have modest wear.
There are some almost black lines and spots which seem to be from the gents shoes and not really a major issue. Part of the history I think!
Sadly, between the legs is yellow stained but this is not too visible when displayed.
Finally there are two straight tears to the silk around each back waist button. These could be repaired.
Waist 34\", inside leg 18\" including cuffs.
A fascinating suit to research, early 19th Century at the latest, do look at the matching coat as well!

Please do take a look in my shop if you have the time!

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