British Rifle Officer's Uniform Jacket, c. 1812.
This extremely rare example of the British rifle officer's jacket is, by tailor's measure, for a man approximately 6 feet tall with a size 44 chest and waist!! Who says that "they were all smaller back in the early 19th century"?! The body is constructed of deep bottle green superfine and faced on collar and cuffs with black velvet. It is sumptuously trimmed with long, false buttonholes of 3/16 in. W, black, worsted soutache braid ending in crows-feet, with 3 rows of small, bullet-shaped "Dorset" buttons on the breast, 30 at center right breast, with corresponding working holes opposite. Similar edging and trim work can be found on the collar, sleeves and around seams behind. The body is lined with a very fine, glazed twill that appears to be a mixture of worsted and silk. There is a vertical, slashed pocket set inside on each side at mid-breast, inset where the cloth innerfacing meets the lining. CONDITION: When acquired, there was scattered holes and nips from insect browse; all of the larger holes were painstakingly filled and matched with cloth in-kind with minute stitching in the period manner of repair, done by Dr. Karin Bohleke, Director of the Fashion Archives and Museum of Shippensburg University--a project requiring many, many hours of patient and skillful sewing. The restoration work is exquisite, and the jacket has been restored to its former glory. Note: one of the breast buttons worked loose when mounting the jacket for photography and will require reattaching. Item #68
Price: $16,000.00