Coat
Dateca. 1840
OriginAmerica, Ohio
MediumWool, Cotton, Silk, Brass
DimensionsChest: 44 inches
Waist: 38 inches
Center Back: 36.5 inches
Credit LineMuseum Purchase, The Friends of Colonial Williamsburg Collections Fund
Object number2022-48
DescriptionBlue broadcloth coat trimmed with brass buttons supporting William Henry Harrison's presidential campaign. Overall, the coat is very typical for the early 1840s. The sleeves are lined in a plain white cotton and faced on the interior with a silk velvet at the cuff. The cuffs close with three buttons. The coat body is double breasted, seamed at the waist, and cut in four panels. The coat has one pocket in the interior and two pockets in the skirts behind, made of polished cotton. Two false pocket flaps sit on the exterior hip. The high rounded "M" notch collar is heavily interfaced with madder red wool and linen that is pad stitched to create the structure. The interior of the coat is unlined but faced in the breast with the same material as the exterior of the coat but quilted to create the fashionable rounded chest. The brass buttons made in Waterbury, Connecticut, have the symbol of the Whig log cabin and the barrel of hard cider out front, from the 1840 William Henry Harrison presidential campaign.
Label TextDuring the 1840 presidential campaign, William Henry Harrison ran on the Whig party ticket and faced Democratic incumbent Martin Van Buren. Harrison was southerner and war hero and the party played up his common man appeal compared the aristocratic Van Buren. Democrats attacked Harrison due to his old age and claimed he would rather "sit in his log cabin drinking hard cider," than hold the highest office in the United States. This backfired when the Whigs ran on the slogan of "Log Cabins and Hard Cider" creating an enormous amounts of political material culture, from buttons to glassware. Harrison won the election of 1840, becoming the oldest president to take office at the age of 68 and died 31 days after taking office.
While many examples of detached buttons survive from this campaign, this is the only extant coat with attached log cabin and hard cider buttons.
MarkingsLarge coat buttons have the back mark of "Benedict and Burnhm Extra"
ProvenanceUnknown date purchased by James Kochan in Ohio; April 23, 2022 coat comes to Auction at Casco Bay Auction but lot is passed; May 2022 coat purchased directly from James Kochan by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
