Waistcoat

Object/Artifact

Saco Museum

Name/Title

Waistcoat

Entry/Object ID

2014.29.1

Description

Waistcoat with a cream colored silk satin front and plain linen back. It has a standing collar, and there are no buttons at the top of the center opening, which allows the front to fold back somewaht like lapels. Relatively short length, ending at about the natural waistline. Decorated with embroidery in silk threads of various shades of brown and yellow around the collar, down both sides of the front opening, and along the bottom front hem. The buttons are covered in self fabric with silk embroidery decoration.

Material

silk satin, silk embroidery thread, linen back and lining

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Cultural/Historical Context

Label

At the same time that men's coat fronts began to be cut away, waistcoats lost that feature and instead were cut straight down the front. They also became shorter, ending just below the waist level. The standing collar became higher and pockets with shaped flaps were replaced with welt openings. Unlike the professionally-embroidered waistcoat owned by Samuel Cutts, this garment is more likely to have been worked locally in imitation of the more expensive imported examples. The buttons do not extend all the way to the top, allowing the upper portion of the front to fold back. Like most waistcoats, the front lining and the back are of linen.