Uncut Waistcoat Panel
Date1780-1795
MediumSilk compound woven with supplementary wefts.
DimensionsL: 29 3/4"; W: 21"
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1954-284,1&2
DescriptionMan's waistcoat fronts consisting of a flat piece woven of dark brownish-black silk with multicolor supplementary weft threads in shades of green, white, pink, and yellow. Design of tulips and smaller flowers, leaves, and buttonholes shapes woven on either side of the straight fronts. Below each pocket reserve is a scene with men, women, a child, and dog flanking a seated musician playing a pipe. Shapes for pocket flaps and circular button covers are woven into lower portion. The remainder of the ground is ornamented with small flying birds, insects, and leaf sprigs. Note: at one time this piece was cut in two, but it has been reassembled as originally woven.Label TextUnmade Waistcoat
France, possibly imported to Virginia, 1780-1795
Silk compound weave with supplementary wefts
1954-284
Intended for a man's waistcoat, this panel descended in an Accomack, Virginia, family.
Brocaded waistcoats were woven on looms as flat pieces that included all the shapes necessary for pocket flaps, buttons, and collar. Tailors cut them apart and added linings and backing materials to make a man's fashionable vest. The parts of the waistcoat shown here were never assembled
ProvenanceDescended in Accomack, Virginia family.
