Cora Ginsburg - Antique Men's Costumes

Gentlemen's Costume


			Embroidered Waistcoat, British,mid-18th c.
	This splendid waistcoat illustrates the vogue in England for yellow silk embroidery on linen ground that decorated both dress and furnishings in the early eighteenth century. Although the design is not symmetrically arranged on the fronts, the waistcoat was nonetheless embroidered to shape. As was customary, only the parts visible under the coat were embellished, leaving the upper sleeves and back plain. Price on Request

	Embroidered Waistcoat, English, ca. 1840-50
			This black satin waistcoat is embroidered with polychrome silk floss in satin stitch with a trailing floral vine motif. The placement of the colorful silk pattern down the shawl collar and front edges and across the pockets and waist confirms the fashion for emphasizing the wearer’s waist and torso that was prevalent in the mid-nineteenth century. $850 Inquiry/Order

			Cardinal-Red Wool Waistcoat, ca. 1870
	This striking four-pocket waistcoat, in cardinal-red knitted wool and embroidered with an all-over “x” pattern in contrasting gray silk thread, vividly illustrates the decorative aspect of these garments in the nineteenth-century masculine wardrobe. Men’s coats were often worn open, displaying these brightly colored or more elaborately patterned integral components of the three-piece suit. $350 Inquiry/Order

	Deep Plum Velvet Waistcoat, ca.1860
			A man’s plum satin waistcoat densely patterned with an all-over design of leaf-and-berry sprigs in deep purple silk velvet and lined in lavender silk. As was fashionable for the period, it has a roll collar and is neatly outfitted with two waist pockets and a single breast pocket on the left side. The dark brown twilled cotton back—concealed by the coat—was a practical way to save on the unnecessary expense of the cut velvet. $750 Inquiry/Order

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