Coat

Large petals of gilt-brass foil scatter across this opulent waistcoat. The use of such flashy decoration is typical of men’s dress between 1750 and 1780. Foils were made of thin sheets of metal, usually silver or brass, that were often gilt or coloured with enamel. Simple floral or leaf shapes were stamped out and perforated at the edges so they could be sewn to the fabric. A border of purl (short coils of metal thread) was worked around the perimeter of the foil to hide its raw edges.

The waistcoat and its matching coat are made of a fabric with an unusual weave of alternative wefts of silk and chenille thread. Worked into these are the patterning wefts of pink and green silk that create the small woven floral motifs. The fabric is further enhanced with appliquéd chenille and silk flowers embroidered in chain stitch with silver-gilt spangles and the foil flowers. This degree of decoration on an early 1760s ensemble indicates that it would have been worn as formal or evening dress.