Dressed to Kill, Dressed to Till
Lot 31:
1870s Tailor’s Manuscript Pattern Notebook. A fascinating notebook kept by an itinerant British tailor who specialized in catering to the county gentry and their liveried servants, as well as military officers in dispersed garrisons. Hardbound with black morocco-finished leather boards, 4 ½ x 3 ¼ inches, closing with a brass clasp. The notebook begins with a few notes on clients and their address, followed by 7 lithographic plates of military uniforms and livery dress laid down on separate pages. The remainder of the work contains 82 full-page, labeled or annotated patterns of various men’s garments or component sections largely rendered in graphite (with occasional inkwork). These include military frock coats and patrol jackets, clerical garb, livery suits, trousers, breeches, pantaloons, gaiters, Chesterfields, pilot coats, and sailor jackets, as well as ladies’ hoods, overcoats, riding habits and trousers. Judging from the plates and the pattern diagrams, the notebook was probably in use during the 1860s to mid-1870s. Edgewear and some chipping to the spine at top and bottom; internal contents bright and clean.
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