A study on Empire coats from 1810-1830, with a note on researching

A note on research:  Whenever someone gives me something that I might think disagrees with everything I feel like I have ever heard on the subject, my first reaction is to dispute it - but I often will stop myself and re-check my resources. This is an instance where I knew what I had learned previously was as accurate as we can be without time machines, and I set out to confirm my thoughts.  This is a subject pertaining to when we begin to see a waist seam on frock coats for men; to make it more plain when were the tails and the body cut and sewn as two separate parts.  All of my experience has told me that this fad did not begin until AT LEAST 1816, which I was wrong on because we do not begin to see it until AT LEAST 1818.

On that note, let me mention some things about thorough research.  As my fiance often says "It is OUR job as historical interpreters/re-enactors to be as historically accurate as we can for the public." That being said, when researching it is very important to exhaust every source you can possibly find.  if you find something fantastic on say, Pinterest or a Google search, it is then your job to cross check your findings with at least three other sources if applicable.  Written descriptions of the period, fashion plates, portraits, and original garments.  When it comes to original garments, ESPECIALLY if they are found in a museum it is important to again cross check those, and take them with a grain of salt.  Use your own knowledge of the period to help you in making decisions; museums though a wonderful source are often notorious for VERY broad or mis-dated items. A garment with anything more than a five year date span  must be looked at with a skeptical eye - though men's fashion is notoriously slow to change in the early 19th century things were, in the grand scheme, rapidly changing.  The styles morphed DRASTICALLY between 1810-1830, just look at the examples shown here.  No one garment can cover that span accurately.

I went to some clothing historians first before I dug a  little deeper to see if it would be worth my trouble.  I consulted with friend and author Martin Lancaster of Napoleon and the Empire of Fashion and Besty Bashore of 19th U.S. Fame as well as a man I consider to be a great brain on the matter Brian Cushing of "Dressing Mr. Darcy" and Notes from the Victorian Man (which is a fantastic source for information, btw).  All of them had coinciding information with mine about that waist seam in coats.  Martin Lancaster had to say "It seems to be connected with the men's corset." as well as "It seems that as the fashion brings the waistline of the front of the jacket down to the level of the hips then you need a seam to handle the change in angle of the hips", which if you observe in portraits during the transitions and some prints, you can see where the desire to change began.

Following are a collection of fashion plates and originals from 1810-1817:

Full Dress Ackermann's Print 1810

Mint Museum ca. 1805-1810

Costume Parisian 1810

MFA Boston 1810-1815

MET Museum 1810

Kerry Taylor Auctions 1810-1815

Costume Parisian 1811

Costume Parisian 1812

Costume Parisian 1812

Costume Parisian 1813

Kyoto Costume Institute 1810-1815

Costume Parisian 1813

Costume Parisian 1814

Costume Parisian 1814

Costume Parisien 1815

Costume Parisien 1815

Costume Parisien 1816

Costume Parisien 1816

Costume Parisien 1817

1817 portrait of Nicholas Pierre

All of these portraits, fashion plates, and originals dating between 1810-1817 have no waist seam.  Costume Parisien produced the largest number of male fashion plates of the era, so they have been used for my "fashion plate" criteria.  I have only chosen a couple of examples, but feel free to look through more here. You will see that in all of the men's plates until 1818 there is no waist seam.  Now, before anyone tries to mention how they won't show a waist seam in a fashion plate; please observe these samples between 1818 and 1828:

Costume Parisien 1818

Costume Parisien 1819

Fashions 1819, found from Scene in the Past Flickr

Costume Parisien 1820

Costume Parisien 1828, our gent in the back has a seam.

Here are some extant garments with the waist seam dated no earlier than 1815, which shown by our above images is a stretch already.

Linen Coat, Augusta Auctions 1825-1830

Victoria and Albert Museum 1815-1820

Ebay find, ca. 1820-1825. Let it be known that I take this one with a grain of salt but it follows suit with the shape I am displaying, sort of speak.

With these sources I cannot help but think the "norm" as it would be for our 1810-1830 span would be the coat being cut as one piece prior to 1818 wherein we begin to see the bottom half and top half being treated as two pieces. 


All of this may seem a little strange to some, but it is very important for LIVING HISTORIANS to make absolute sure of what it is they represent, because we are the link between modern day and history for the every-day-run-of-the-mill person who sees us at re-enactments.  To perpetuate false information or haphazardly researched information is a crime to the public who uses us to learn.  Be mindful of what you share, and take a little extra time to think; and to read that one extra publication, and cross check one extra time that museum piece you found.