I canât believe this terrible thing is an actual 1840âČs embroidered waistcoat.
Oh my god thereâs another one?
Edit: THEREâS A THIRD ONE?!????
I guess they must be from a pattern printed in a ladiesâ magazine or something.Â
Okay, so I was curious and did a bit of digging and think I may have figured this out.
I was unable to locate the exact needlework pattern, but I think thereâs a decent chance these waistcoats are inspired by the description of one worn by the character Mr. Jawleyford in popular sporting author Robert Smith Surteesâs book Mr. Spongeâs Sporting Tour (first serialized in 1849 (at least thatâs the earliest I could find) and published as a novel in 1853.)
Mr. Jawleyford is described in the book as âa cross between a military man and a dandy, with a slight touch of the squireâ and his hunting ensemble is described in minute detail including: âBut if Mr. Jawleyfordâs coat went to âhareâ, his waistcoat was all for the âfoxâ. On a bright blue ground he sported such an infinity of âheadsâ that there is no saying he would have been safe in a kennel of un-entered or unsteady hounds.â
Now I canât say for certain whether the waistcoats were inspired by the book or the description of Mr. Jawleyfordâs ensemble was based on an already extant trend for blue fox head waistcoats, but thereâs clearly some sort of connection.
I looked to see if I could find any earlier mention of this trend, but the closest I found was in The Ladiesâ Fancy Needle-Work Instructor (printed in 1841) which states that âfor sporting gentlemen the âFox Headâ is very prettyâ but doesnât go into any more detail than that.
Edit: Found an illustration! via The Cary Collection
Oooh thatâs so neat! Thank you!!





















