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Collections

Vest1789-1794

Not on view
Woven textile waistcoat with allover harlequin triangle pattern in cream, brick red, and slate blue, metallic button front closure, olive trim, and French text along the hem
Needlework vest with dense geometric pattern of triangles in orange, blue-gray, and cream. Front closure edged with fringe and small metal buttons; text in Latin script woven into a horizontal band near the hem. Small embroidered floral motif at left lapel. Displayed on a mannequin with white ruffled shirt visible at neckline, against a black background.
Needlepoint vest covered in a repeating triangular harlequin pattern in red, blue, and cream, with a dark beaded center front closure, fringe hem, and bands of embroidered Latin text along the lower edges.
Knitted waistcoat displayed flat, showing exterior and interior simultaneously. Exterior features a repeating triangle pattern in red, blue, and cream; interior is olive-gold ribbed knit. Embroidered text reads 'HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE' at lower front, with 'CHAR' visible at the collar. Small floral motif near shoulder, fringe along bottom edge.
Close-up of a theatrical costume jacket in a harlequin diamond pattern of red, blue, and cream woven fabric, with an olive green embroidered lapel featuring insect motifs, fringe trim, sequined buttons, and a white cravat at the neck.
Close-up of woven textile with an allover pattern of triangles in rust, slate blue, and cream. A horizontal band across the center bears embroidered Latin-script lettering in cream on dark purple ground.
Close-up of a woven textile with a repeating triangular pattern in rust, dark blue, and cream, featuring a horizontal band with the embroidered motto "HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE" in cream letters on dark ground.
Close-up of a textile or costume detail showing a woven pink ribbon band with the embroidered word "CHARMANT" in black letters, above a multicolored woven or embroidered border in red, blue, and cream geometric patterns.
Close-up detail of a woven textile with vertical columns of silver-gray looped threads on an olive-green ground, with areas of fraying and exposed horizontal fibers at left.
Close-up detail of a woven textile with olive-yellow ground fabric, featuring vertical columns of banded dark brown and cream fiber tufts, interrupted horizontally by a twisted natural-fiber cord in tan and black.
Title
Vest
Place Made
France
Date Made
1789-1794
Medium
Linen canvas with silk needlepoint, linen plain weave with silk supplementary-warp cut-pile trim and silk embroidery
Dimensions
Center back length: 26 1/2 in. (67.31 cm)
Credit Line
Purchased with funds provided by Suzanne A. Saperstein and Michael and Ellen Michelson, with additional funding from the Costume Council, the Edgerton Foundation, Gail and Gerald Oppenheimer, Maureen H. Shapiro, Grace Tsao, and Lenore and Richard Wayne
Accession Number
M.2007.211.1078
Classification
Costumes
Collecting Area
Costume and Textiles
Selected Bibliography
  • Edwards, Lydia. How to Read a Suit: A Guide to Changing Men's Fashion from the 17th to the 20th Century. London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2020.