Waistcoat

Object Type
By the 1830s most of the colour in men's dress came from the waistcoat. During the 1830s waistcoats, printed or woven to imitate shawl patterns, were popular. Polychrome effects were also fashionable although the colours would never have been discordant. In 1832 Beau Brummel was described as wearing a cashmere waistcoat made from a shawl.

Historical Associations
A handwritten label is pinned to the waistcoat which reads: 'This waistcoat was given by Sir Douglas Seton Stewart to Emma Lady Seton ....(and) was one made for the Eglinton Tournament'. The pattern repeat incorporating flags, a pavilion-style tent and mounted knights charging with lances suggests that it has associations with the event and 19th-century chivalry. The motifs are very similar to those seen on prints depicting the Eglinton Tournament.

Trading
It is unlikely that the fabric was especially commissioned for this garment. It would have been very expensive for someone to do this. Moreover the width of the repeat (which spans more than half of the front of the waistcoat) means that a proportion of the design is lost in the side seams.