Object: Man's suit
Date: c. 1860
Medium: Wool
Country: USA
Credit Line: Museum purchase
Object number: P90.2.4
DescriptionMan's suit in black wool; fitted frock coat with notch collar, vest with curved lapels, and flat front pants
Label Text:This monochromatic, black suit is emblematic of the “somber” and “restrained” dressing that has come to define 19th-century menswear. Its silhouette mimics the lines of the idealized male body. As historian Anne Hollander once put it, “all modern suits have been cut to suggest a male body that tapers from broad shoulders and a muscular chest, has a flat stomach and a small waist, lean flanks and long legs.” Although the jacket here is longer than typical suit styles today, its color, material, and tailored line can still be seen in contemporary equivalents, attesting to the style’s longevity.
In Collection(s)
Exhibitions:
- Fashion & Textile History Gallery First Rotation
- Force of Nature
- His and Hers
- Pink: The History of a Punk, Pretty, Powerful Color
- Power Mode
- Trend-ology