Circa 1785 - 1790
France
Siamoise silk and cotton Habit or frock coat with fine tricolour, speckled and shaded stripes dating from the French Revolution. Fitted, scooped front and pleated tail. High officer's collar with turned-down panels and long angled sleeves with buttoned cuffs. Complete with seventeen large round buttons covered in the same material. Unbleached brushed cotton lining and back. Note a micro hole on one button. No stain or hole, clean. Very good condition.
Dimensions: Equivalent to men's size 48. Shoulders 40 cm, chest 99 cm, waist 94 cm, height 111 cm, sleeves 64 cm.
Exhibited and catalogued at Villa Rosemaine in 2023. Extract:
*SIAMOISE, s. f. (Soyerie & Cotonnerie.) fabric mixed with silk & cotton which was first seen in France, when the ambassadors of the King of Siam came there during the reign of Louis XIV. Siamese thread and cotton were more successful; there is still a fairly large trade in them. Some have large stripes, others have small stripes of various colours; their width is half a yellow, or nearly an acre: some can be soaped.
*Jaucourt, Encyclopédie 1st edition, 1751 (volume 15, p.153)