I am made of heavy wool in wine and cream. Thight fitting, hip-length with stand-up collar. Front attached vest is ornately trimmed with maroon machine embroidery. The same trim is found on the shoulder, bottom of sleeve and on the back. Skirt of the jacket is shaped to fit over a bustle. I am from cca. 1890s and was worn by Jessie Webb Corwin's mother, Jessie Mason Webb. In the 1820s and 1830s the waistline deepened, returning to its natural position. As the natural waist returned the bodice required a tighter fit and in contrast the skirt became fuller and bell-shaped. There were several different sleeve styles but short puffed sleeves were generally worn for evening and long sleeves for day. Corsets continued to be worn. These were lightly boned and quilted, with a deep busk. Several layers of petticoats with frilled hems, sometimes of horsehair, were worn to support the full skirts. Some petticoats of the 1840s were feather-quilted. Later examples of the 1850s and 1860s were made of 'crin' and steel hoops.
other embroidered 19th century jackets:
interesting embroidery facts:
* the origins of embroidery are unknown, but early examples survive from ancient Egypt, Iron Age Northern Europe and Zhou Dynasty China
* the earliest machine embroidery used a combination of machine looms and teams of women embroidering the textiles by hand; this was done in England by the mid-1800s
* although embroidery has connotations of being the work of 19th Century housewives, it was originally a man’s profession
* the most common place to find an embroidered design on garments is on the left breast; the hypothesized reason for this is that in Western countries this is most effective at catching the viewer's eye as we read from left to right
(facts found at EDC and Slant Riggs)
