Boy’s Coat c. 1770 - 1780

This boy's coat was made by an anonymous maker with textile and thread. The tailored shape is created from a plain weave, and the edges are decorated with rows of simple buttons and metal thread trim. Consider the intensive labor of producing clothing like this entirely by hand. From processing the raw fiber, spinning and weaving the cloth, cutting the pattern, and hand-sewing the seams and embellishments, the creation of this coat involved hours of painstaking work. The quality of the handwork speaks to a skilled maker, yet we'll never know their name. It’s easy to overlook the material intelligence embedded in historical textiles. This coat, for instance, is more than just an example of period style; it's a testament to the ingenuity and labor of the anonymous maker, and to the value placed on craft and aesthetics.