Court suit, late 18th–early 19th century
French
Blue patterned velvet embroidered in gold and silver metallic threads, blue and white silk threads
Technical Glossary
French
Blue patterned velvet embroidered in gold and silver metallic threads, blue and white silk threads
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. A. Perry Morgan Jr., 1983 (1983.384.1a-c)
By the early nineteenth century, menswear had become more somber in color and simplified in decoration, a direct influence of English styles. This suit, however, illustrates Napoleon's revival of extravagant ancien régime styles for wear at court. Politically and economically motivated, this revival was calculated to boost the foundering fashion-related industries in France.
