Overcoat

This 19th century man's overcoat is fully lined with wolf skin from the Russian wolf (Canis Lupus). The skins of thirty-two wolves were used to make the lining and trimmings for this coat. All would have been trapped in the wild, as fur farming was not established at this time.

The coat is fastened with olivets and trimmed with five rows of frogging made from a heavy black braid, one of which is set high on the chest so, when fastened, the fur collar could be turned up at the back and pulled up around the face at the front.

In the 19th century furs were worn by both men and women and were an indispensable item of luxury and a way of displaying wealth. Fashionable society demanded a huge variety of furs, which were imported from all over the world.