Images(5)

Coat

Dateca. 1770

OriginEngland

MediumWool, silk, linen, iron, steel, copper alloy, and bone (est)

DimensionsOverall Length: 36 inches; Chest: 36 inches; Waist: 32 inches

Credit LineMuseum Purchase, The Friends of Colonial Williamsburg Collections Fund

Object number2024-195

DescriptionA coat probably made for a young man or boy of white broadcloth, half lined in robin’s egg blue silk. The collar exterior matches the off-white broadcloth, however the under collar is made of light blue ribbed silk. The wearer could close the coat either with the three sets of iron hooks and eyes or through the cut steel buttons backed with bone through the working buttonholes. Two pockets and pocket flaps are on the front coat body. Each flap is carefully seamed onto the coat. The center back vent is faced with a narrow blue tape. Each of the sleeves are fully interlined ¾ of the way up the arm with a fine woven woolen and then lined with a white linen. The sleeves terminate in a narrow unlined cuff.
Label TextBroadcloth coats were a staple in English and American society. The heavily fulled wools allow the garment to be cut leaving a raw or unfinished edge. This coat was considered unlined in the 18th century, with minimal blue silk lining in the skirts and front of the coat. The center back is left completely unlined. Due to the heat, many Virginians wore unlined coats.
Provenance2024, purchase by Mark Wallis (England); 2024-present, purchased by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)