Banyan Waistcoat
Date1765-1775 from earlier silk
OriginEngland
MediumBrocaded silk, linen-cotton, and linen.
DimensionsOL: 29"; chest: 40"
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1941-208,2
DescriptionMan's waistcoat matching a brocaded floral silk gown or banyan. Waistcoat is collarless and sleeveless, buttoned down front with 12 functional buttons and buttonholes; cut away in a wide V below the waist at center front. Center back and side vents. Waistcoat back is made of tabby linen-and-cotton lined with linen. Silk fronts are lined with tabby linen-and-cotton. Innerfacing or stiffening is positioned behind buttons and buttonholes. Like the banyan, the waistcoat was made from the materials in a woman's gown of about 1760.Label TextThis waistcoat and its matching gown or "banyan" were made from women's dress silk of about 1760. Old fold lines in the gown suggest that the original woman's garment was a sack-back style with pleats falling from the shoulders.
