Court suit
Clothes for Men
Inventory number
2019.5.17.1af.CM.SU.C1850.GBAuthor:
John Morgan & Co (English, founded 1825)Description
Queen Victoria court diplomat's costume, consisting of of a three-pieces suit in black woolen cloth lined with ivory silk, completed with its marcasite and cut steel buttons, including a jacket with a black ottoman and silk ribbon wig on the back, a waistcoat, a pair of breeches and a pair of socks. A bicorne decorated with ottoman ribbons and seven rows of oval and round cut steel beads and faceted beads ending in a faceted half-loop. It was designed to be folded flat, so that it could be conveniently tucked under the arm when not being worn.Despite the changes in fashion during the 19th century, court suits resemble the type of clothes that late 18th-century gentleman might have worn. They were cut in the style of fashionable 1790s men's dress, with waistcoat, tailcoat, knee-breeches worn with silk stockings, buckled shoes, a sword with a cut-steel hilt and a bicorne hat. This type of court dress was worn for royal and important ceremonial occasions. It did not change in line with fashion as did the rest of men's clothes. After 1869 new regulations were introduced for gentlemen's court dress. The cut and form of the this style of suit were much the same as before, but the coat and breeches were usually made of black textil instead of dark cloth. Waistcoats also tended to be made of plain white silk or black velvet. By 1900, at the end of the reign of Queen Victoria, there were two main styles for court dress. The 'new style' which included a black tailcoat which was worn open and the 'old style' was based on an 18th-century frock coat with fronts sloping back from the waist, stand collar and black silk wig-bag.
Materials
WoolMetal
Cut steel
Marcasite
Origin
circa 1850 United KingdomRelated object
Court SuitExhibitions History
• 2019.10.24–2020.03.28. ‘The Crinoline Lady. From Alexandre Vassiliev foundation collection.’ Fashion Museum, Riga, Latvia.• 2021.04.19–2021.10.30. ‘The Crinoline Lady (1850–1869). From Alexandre Vassiliev foundation collection.’ Silute Hugo Sheu Museum (Hugo Sheu Manor), Silutė, Lithuania.
• 2021.09.17–2021.11.14. ‘To Play To The Gallery. Fashion And Portrait.’ Together with Museum of Art and History, Geneva, Switzerland. Museum of Art and History, Palatine’s room, Geneva, Switzerland.
• 2024.06.11–2024.10.26. ‘A day in the 19th century manor: from morning rituals to banquets. From the collection of Alexandre Vassiliev foundation.’ Daugyvenė museum-reserve of cultural history (Burbiškis Manor), Radviliškis district, Lithuania.