Of Men & Their Elegance

Exhibition

Of Men & Their Elegance
Higbee Gallery
Second Rotation: April 25 to November 23, 2003
First presented: July 3 to November 17, 2002
Anne Bissonnette & Dr. Debbie Henderson, Curators

Seventeenth and Early Eighteenth Century Styles

Military Buckskin Coat with Red Velvet Cuffs
England, 1685-1693
The coat is padded and reinforced at the right shoulder to accommodate the firearm and is left open under the arms for greater ease of movement while shooting. It was part of the estate of Nicholas Miller from Old Soar, Plaxton, who died in 1693 and is the earliest European garment in the Museum's collection. It probably would have been worn with a periwig and three-cornered hat. Although the metal buttons and detachable velvet cuffs are original, the leather lacings are modern replacements.
Kent State University Museum
Silverman/Rodgers Collection
KSUM 1983.1.12

Portrait of Louis XV, King of France 1723-1744
France, 18th to 19th century
Artist unknown
Oil on canvas
Kent State University Museum
Silverman/Rodgers Collection
KSUM 1983.4.723

Blue Embroidered Silk Vest
England, c. 1745
This knee-length squared-front faille vest still follows the aesthetics of earlier styles, but, unlike its predecessors, it has lost its sober color and displays a mesmerizing floral scheme in silk and metal embroidery. Although coats and breeches were to retain a sense of restraint in color and fabrics, the vests became much more extravagant.
Kent State University Museum
Silverman/Rodgers Collection
KSUM 1983.1.13

Mouse-colored Wool Coat
England, 1750s
Following the most extravagant cut of the coat or justaucorps, the skirts here have reached their maximum fullness and the cuffs are deep and wide. With extra folds of fabric inserted in the side pleats, the skirts were meant to stand out and help delineate the wider silhouette found in women's wear that was characteristic of the Rococo era. It is trimmed with silver braid and metal incised buttons.
The coat belonged to the Gell family.
Kent State University Museum
Gift of Ross Trump in memory of his mother, Helen Watts Trump
KSUM 1995.68.2

Ivory Crewelwork Embroidered Long-sleeved Linen Vest
England, mid-18th century
As with the Eastern origins of the vest, exotic influences were present in textiles. Indian printed cottons were popular in clothing and decorative arts but their costs were highly prohibitive. As a result, Eastern imagery was reproduced in woolen thread on linen, two fibers which were widely available in England.
Kent State University Museum
Silverman/Rodgers Collection
KSUM 1983.1.18

SPONSORED BY:

The National Association of Men's Sportswear Buyers

and