Waistcoat

This style of whitework waistcoat was popular in the 1740s, most likely worn for informal summer wear. On the lower corner of each front, heart-shaped insertions of hollie point needlework bear the initials ‘PB’ and ‘AB’ and the date 1744. This suggests that the waistcoat was made for, or commemorates, a wedding. It is corded and embroidered around the front edges and on the pocket flaps in a pattern of stylised flowers and leaves. A variety of stitches can be seen, including stem, satin and running stitch, with French knots.
The waistcoat appears to have been worn for over a decade. Several alterations were made to allow for the rising hemline of waistcoats through the 1750s, as well as the wearer’s expanding waistline.