Man's Uniform Coat
Clothing MakerMade by
Unknown
Date1828-1835
MediumHand-stitched red wool fine broadcloth, with plain-woven cotton sleeve lining, black silk velvet facing and worsted wool twill facing, gold silk ribbon trim, gilt brass buttons, and brass wire hooks
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (center back length from collar to hem x breast circumference): 31 x 32in. (78.7 x 81.3cm)
Other (sleeve length from shoulder): 24 1/2in. (62.2cm)
ClassificationsCostume
Credit LineConnecticut Museum of Culture and History collection
Object number1986.249.0
DescriptionMilitia Artillery uniform coat, completely hand-stitched of red wool fine broadcloth. The coat is single-breasted, but made to appear double-breasted. The inside of the coat, beneath the arms and across the lower back, is unlined. The sleeves are lined with a coarse, plain-woven cotton. The coat is faced in the breast, collar, cuffs, and turn backs with black silk velvet, and faced in the breast, back shoulders, and skirts with an ultra marine/blue (now faded to gray-blue) worsted wool twill (shalloon). A pocket set into the right skirt facing is made of the same blue worsted shalloon.
The coat has a waist seam and separate front panels, indicating post-1821 construction. (Waist seams started being used in 1820, and side body panels came into use in the 1830s.) Each front panel is cut as a single piece, with no side body panels, indicating a pre-1830 construction date. The front panel has a horizontal pocket flap of red wool broadcloth, trimmed with 1/4-inch, gold silk ribbon formed into loops that extend from the waist seam down to the lower edge of the pocket flap. The flap is faced with black silk velvet, which extends beyond the front rear edges and lower edges to form piping. The rear edge of the front skirt folds into two pleats which are stitched into the back panel. Each pleat is trimmed with three Artillery buttons, which are set against the folds of the pleat and are equally spaced, with a fourth button set at the top of pleat where it meets the side seam. The front and back skirts are trimmed with triangular false turn backs made of black silk velvet, which are stitched to the front and rear skirt panels and joined with a 3 x 1 1/2 inch diamond of red wool edged with 1/4-inch-wide gold silk ribbon.
The coat fastens across the front with six flat, brass wire hooks and eyes set on the center front edges from the neck to the waist, and with a round brass wire hook and eye set in the middle of the front edge of the collar. The lapels, collar, cuffs, and pocket flaps of the coat were originally trimmed with an ivory- or gold-colored, 1/4-inch-wide, silk ribbon formed into square-ended loops representing buttonholes. There are six such buttonholes on each lapel. The lapels are formed in a lyre shape, made of a single thickness of black silk velvet which is sewn to the body of the coat. On the lapels, near the center front edges, there is a dark gray cotton cloth formed into 1/4-inch strips and laid over the silk tape in the areas where it was broken or missing. The 1 7/8-inch-high standing collar is lined on the inside neck with the same red wool as the body of the coat and is stiffened with coarse, linen buckram. The collar is faced on the outside with black silk velvet. On either side of the center front opening of the collar are the remains of two loops of gold silk ribbon, 3 1/2 inches long. United States Army Artillery buttons, following the 1814 United States Army Artillery button pattern, are fixed at the rear edges of these loops. All the buttons on the coat appear to be original, and all are of the same type: 3/4-inch-diameter, one-piece gilt brass, with a cannon and eagle on the face. Below the artillery piece on the face of the button is the word "CORPS", with an open space to the left side of the C. The militia would use that open area to stamp the number of the company onto the button, but none of these buttons have been stamped. Additional Army Artillery buttons are on the outside edges of the lapel, corresponding to the six button loops.
The two-piece sleeve is cut narrow to be close fitting. It has a distinctive elbow point. The sleeve cap at the shoulder is gathered into a large puff, a style characteristic of the late 1820s. The sleeve presently has a 2 3/4-inch false cuff of black silk velvet stitched along its top edge to the sleeve. Each cuff is trimmed on its outside surface with three loops of 1/4-inch-wide, gold silk ribbon, with an Artillery button placed against each loop near the top of the cuff. A line of stitching just above the cuffs, and corresponding stitching inside the sleeves, suggest that the sleeves have been altered from their original form; they have been shortened approximately two inches. The original sleeve would have extended down to the knuckles of the hand. This shortening could be the result of adapting the coat to fit another wearer, or it could be an alteration to convert the coat into a costume.
The coat has a waist seam and separate front panels, indicating post-1821 construction. (Waist seams started being used in 1820, and side body panels came into use in the 1830s.) Each front panel is cut as a single piece, with no side body panels, indicating a pre-1830 construction date. The front panel has a horizontal pocket flap of red wool broadcloth, trimmed with 1/4-inch, gold silk ribbon formed into loops that extend from the waist seam down to the lower edge of the pocket flap. The flap is faced with black silk velvet, which extends beyond the front rear edges and lower edges to form piping. The rear edge of the front skirt folds into two pleats which are stitched into the back panel. Each pleat is trimmed with three Artillery buttons, which are set against the folds of the pleat and are equally spaced, with a fourth button set at the top of pleat where it meets the side seam. The front and back skirts are trimmed with triangular false turn backs made of black silk velvet, which are stitched to the front and rear skirt panels and joined with a 3 x 1 1/2 inch diamond of red wool edged with 1/4-inch-wide gold silk ribbon.
The coat fastens across the front with six flat, brass wire hooks and eyes set on the center front edges from the neck to the waist, and with a round brass wire hook and eye set in the middle of the front edge of the collar. The lapels, collar, cuffs, and pocket flaps of the coat were originally trimmed with an ivory- or gold-colored, 1/4-inch-wide, silk ribbon formed into square-ended loops representing buttonholes. There are six such buttonholes on each lapel. The lapels are formed in a lyre shape, made of a single thickness of black silk velvet which is sewn to the body of the coat. On the lapels, near the center front edges, there is a dark gray cotton cloth formed into 1/4-inch strips and laid over the silk tape in the areas where it was broken or missing. The 1 7/8-inch-high standing collar is lined on the inside neck with the same red wool as the body of the coat and is stiffened with coarse, linen buckram. The collar is faced on the outside with black silk velvet. On either side of the center front opening of the collar are the remains of two loops of gold silk ribbon, 3 1/2 inches long. United States Army Artillery buttons, following the 1814 United States Army Artillery button pattern, are fixed at the rear edges of these loops. All the buttons on the coat appear to be original, and all are of the same type: 3/4-inch-diameter, one-piece gilt brass, with a cannon and eagle on the face. Below the artillery piece on the face of the button is the word "CORPS", with an open space to the left side of the C. The militia would use that open area to stamp the number of the company onto the button, but none of these buttons have been stamped. Additional Army Artillery buttons are on the outside edges of the lapel, corresponding to the six button loops.
The two-piece sleeve is cut narrow to be close fitting. It has a distinctive elbow point. The sleeve cap at the shoulder is gathered into a large puff, a style characteristic of the late 1820s. The sleeve presently has a 2 3/4-inch false cuff of black silk velvet stitched along its top edge to the sleeve. Each cuff is trimmed on its outside surface with three loops of 1/4-inch-wide, gold silk ribbon, with an Artillery button placed against each loop near the top of the cuff. A line of stitching just above the cuffs, and corresponding stitching inside the sleeves, suggest that the sleeves have been altered from their original form; they have been shortened approximately two inches. The original sleeve would have extended down to the knuckles of the hand. This shortening could be the result of adapting the coat to fit another wearer, or it could be an alteration to convert the coat into a costume.
Status
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