Wedding dress coat
Object No. 2015/69/1
This men's dress coat is made of black wool, featuring an 'M' notched collar, double breasted and cutaway front with knee length tails. It was worn by Henry Paterson for the occasion of his marriage on 31st January, 1877. This coat is a rare provenanced example of colonial Australian men's dress. It would have been worn with a shirt, white tie and vest, trousers and hat for formal wear. The fitted shape and cutaway waist of this jacket emphasises the chest and shoulders. This was a fashionable silhouette for English men's dress in the 1870s. The hand stitched construction of this garment demonstrates the skill of the tailor who made this coat. There are a number of subtle construction details and embellishments in this coat including internal quilted panels on the tails and black on black embroidered buttons. This reflects the subdued style of fashionable men's dress in the 1870s in Britain. This stands in contrast to women's dress of the same period. Women's dress typically featured elaborate bustled skirts, trimmings of lace, ribbon and fringing with layers of fabric, gathering and ruching. Henry Paterson was born to Henry Paterson and Marjory Cameron, Gunning, New South Wales. His parents were assisted immigrants from Scotland coming as part of the Bounty Immigrant scheme (1835-1841). He was a farmer in Gunning, New South Wales at the time of his marriage. Rebecca Evans, Assistant Curator, 2015
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Summary
Object Statement
Wedding coat, wool / metal / silk, maker unidentified, place of production unknown, worn by Henry Paterson for his marriage to Elizabeth Fyfe, Sutton Forest, New South Wales, Australia, 31st January 1877
Physical Description
Made from a black wool face cloth, the double breasted jacket secures with two rows of five covered buttons embroidered with black floral motifs. W shaped cutaway divide the collar and wide lapels, both outlined in fine black braid. Lined in beige cotton, the curved cut sleeves are seamed from between bust and shoulder point to side wrist at the front and back. The jacket is fitted to the waist. Tails sit on either side of the square cut waist and continue around to a full skirt at the back. Seams run from the collar across the back of the shoulder and from the shoulder toward centre back. Two buttons are missing, which would have sat on the waistline either side of the off-centre back vent. The bottom edge is raw. Quilted panels are attached to the inside back and two rows of collar facing are edged with crenellation cutaways.
PRODUCTION
Notes
This dress coat is made of black wool and is hand stitched. This style of coat, often called a 'cutaway' features a waist length front, cut straight with tails at back. The back of the dress coat includes three curved panels, which decrease in width from shoulder to waist. Coat also has black on black floral embroidered buttons, quilted panels on the tails and a crenellated collar.
HISTORY
Notes
The coat belonged to Henry Paterson and was worn at his wedding to Elizabeth Fyfe in 1877. Henry was the son of Henry Paterson (b.12 April 1809 - d.19 October 1861) and Marjory Cameron (b.1833). Henry's origins are typical of how Australia's early assisted immigration scheme encouraged skilled free settlers to begin a new life in remote Australia. Henry was a farmer in Gunning, New South Wales at the time of his marriage.
SOURCE
Credit Line
Gift of Jan Rostron, 2015
Acquisition Date
13 November 2015
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