Military jacket 1860 - 1864

Curator: Standing before us is a military jacket from the period of 1860 to 1864, now held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: My first impression is power, almost a theatrical kind of authority emanating from this stiff silhouette and the gleam of the gold. Curator: Indeed. Think about the labor involved—the textile production, the intricate goldwork on the collar and cuffs. This wasn't mass-produced; each button, each stitch speaks to a dedicated craft. The making of this object would be intense, especially considering the state of technology at that time. Editor: Absolutely. And that arrangement of buttons, those striking epaulettes – they’re not merely functional; they impose a visual hierarchy. It creates a clear and dominant silhouette. Curator: Precisely! It underscores the role of military dress in projecting authority and control. One wonders about the life of the tailor, the provenance of the fabrics. All those hours translating somebody else’s vision of military prowess and design. It embodies the industrial realities behind the conflict itself. Editor: And in a broader sense, doesn’t it mirror the structure of military itself? A strict ordering and embellishment masking what undoubtedly was a brutal reality of war. Curator: Exactly. Its very construction—the layers, the tight fit—suggests a kind of armor, psychological as well as physical. One might also look into the class implications... such details could not have been made affordable for the majority of people. Editor: So much presence in such a compact form! This jacket gives one plenty to consider about both its overt declaration of power, and its submerged reflection of humanity during war. Curator: I concur! By focusing on these details, we bring to light the intricate web of power relations, and we start looking at military jacket more holistically and how intertwined labor, class, and the theater of war could be.