Description of a 1790's men's tailcoat

I have started the conservation process on this beautiful men's striped tailcoat from 1790 to 1795. It is from the Gothenburg City Museum in Sweden. 

The fabric is a silk and cotton plain weave and green silk satin stripes. It has five large buttons on each breast flap and two on the lower back that are each covered with the same fabric. The coat is lined only in the sleeves in natural linen.

It belonged to a Swedish nobleman and military official named J. G de la Gardie who lived from 1768-1842, when he was a young man in his mid 20's.

I was so surprised and excited to find out that LACMA 
(Los Angeles County Museum of Art) has a coat from the same time period sewn from the EXACT SAME FABRIC! How amazing is that, I find it so fascinating that these two garments cut from the same cloth have survived half way across the world from each other. 

Coat from the LACMA collection.

The cut and construction of the two coats are different but they are both from the 1790's and the fabric is of french origin according to the LACMA website. They have also done an amazing job by providing the pattern of the coat, available HERE for download; as part of their " Costume and Textiles Pattern Project". 

This description from the LACMA pattern characterises both coats very well: "This handsewn silk tailcoat, with its high collar, short front, and long back exemplifies how French fashion extremists (incroyables) adopted and exaggerated traditional wool riding coats from England. The sleeves of this tailcoat, set unnaturally close together, forced the wearer to hold his shoulders back and thrust his chest forward to create a “pouter pigeon” silhouette which was fashionable in the late eighteenth century."

I will try to post about once a week to this blog, stick around as I describe the damage this coat has sustained and carry out it's conservation!