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Boy's Coat

Original OwnerOriginally owned by Joel Potter American, 1800 - 1873
Clothing MakerMade by Unknown
Date1803-1805
MediumHand-stitched cotton, with cotton-covered bone (probably) buttons
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (length x width across shoulders): 16 x 8in. (40.6 x 20.3cm)
ClassificationsCostume
Credit LineMuseum purchase
DescriptionSmall boy's tail coat of cotton printed with a small checked design in brown on white; the white squares are filled with a madder red dot. The coat is double-breasted, with five buttons on either side of center front opening; the lower three buttons function, while the upper two on each side are decorative. The buttonholes are stitched in dark brown silk. The rise and fall collar is 1 1/4 inches wide at the center back; triangular lapels turn back below the collar in front. The two-pieced sleeve is set high on the shoulder; it terminates in a 2 1/4-inch-wide cuff that is vented at the back seam for 1 1/2 inches. The front waistline curves back to the tails. The shoulder seams are set towards the back. The coat body is cut with curved side back seams and a center back seam. The side back seams terminate at the pleats of the coat tails. This area is reinforced with plain, white cotton and decorated with two self-covered buttons. The coat is faced with self-fabric in the breast, and there is a facing strip in the proper left tail. The self-facing in the proper right tail forms a welted pocket. The buttons on the breast are reinforced by a 1/2-inch-wide button stand strip between the fashion fabric and the facing (this can be felt but not seen).
Object number1964.80.6
On View
Not on view
Gift of Phyllis Kihn, 1980.38.2a-c, Connecticut Historical Society, Public Domain
Marie L. Brown
1870
Boy's or Man's Coat
Captain Samuel Whitman
about 1810
Dress
Unknown
about 1875
Gift of Adah Danielson, 1961.11.1a-d, Connecticut Historical Society, Public Domain
Mary Christina Harris
1883
Wedding Dress
Unknown
5 June 1862
Tail Coat
Unknown
about 1790-1800
Gift of Charles S. MacDonough, 1847.12.0  © 2008 The Connecticut Historical Society.
Commodore Thomas MacDonough
1812-1814