Dressed to Kill, Dressed to Till
A well-made, single-breasted, sleeved waistcoat of white, corded linen with 11 worked buttonholes and 11 corresponding, self-covered buttons on the right breast, circa 1775. Each button is thread-worked on its face in the pattern of a 6-point star. There is a pocket flap on each side at the waist level, with scalloped bottom edge, each with 3 worked holes and 3 corresponding buttons sewn on the body just below the pocket bag, the buttons the size and finish of those on the breast. The backseam of the sleeves are “slit” or finished open for 5 ½ inches from the bottom of the wrist, wear it is closed with a buttonhole and self-covered button. The body is lined with plainweave linen of medium weight. Made for a man approximately 5’5” tall, with a 31 chest, 28 waist and 30 inch sleeve. Sleeved waistcoats were popular garments for military service and often worn in lieu of a coat in warm weather; numerous mentions of such garments can be found in Revolutionary War supply documents, as well as in deserter descriptions. In very good condition, with one hole in the upper right panel of the lining.
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