Frock coat

ca. 1840
Not on view
In the nineteenth century, the frock coat became a symbol of British masculinity and even empire. While simpler and less structured than the eighteenth century dress coat, the frock developed into a full-skirted coat mirroring the ideal female silhouette. Although the frock coat's popularity waned after World War I, it was later appropriated by subcultural groups like goths and new romantics as part of a historicist wardrobe.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Frock coat
  • Date: ca. 1840
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: wool
  • Credit Line: Gift of Lee Simonson, 1938
  • Object Number: C.I.38.23.39
  • Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute

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