Gentlemen's Fashion

French Gentleman’s Evening Dress, February 1801

The coat is cut high in the waist, as was typical of this period, although this example is a bit exaggerated in the manner of the Incroyables...

Gentleman’s Riding Costume, July 1801

This young man looks like he might have been one of the Incroyables...

Gentleman’s Half Dress, January 1803

The coat is single-breasted, with a high, narrow collar and exaggerated cuffs. His white shirt is boldly ruffled, with its collar held high on his cheeks by a neckcloth tied asymmetrically to one side...

French Gentleman’s Half Dress, August 1803

He wears a bicorn hat, a double-breasted gray tailcoat, short white waistcoat, ruffled white shirt, white neckcloth, dark striped breeches, tied instead of buckled,...

French Gentleman’s Day Wear, November 1803

The outer-most garment is named a Redingote, a French alteration of the English "riding coat." It is shorter than a typical greatcoat...

French Gentleman’s Evening Dress, May 1804

This is clearly an evening costume, as the gentleman is wearing buckled evening pumps and is carrying a chapeau bras, a collapsible tricorn hat that was carried under the arm with evening wear...

French Gentleman’s Court Dress, February 1805

Court dress for men at both the English at French courts had long favored elaborately decorated military uniforms. But even for men who were not entitled to wear military uniforms, the prescribed court dress has a very military style...

Gentleman’s Day Wear, November 1805

His frock coat is cut full in the shoulders and slightly high at the waist. Buttons on the front, probably double-breasted, go all the way up to the shoulders...

French Gentleman’s Evening Dress, March 1806

The coat is of gray wool, double breasted, with full shoulders, a high notched collar, and sleeves that reach the knuckles....

Gentleman’s Morning Dress, November 1806

"A plain single-breasted frock of brown or olive with metal buttons; the waistcoat, of striped toilinette, any colour, is rather longer than formerly; pantaloons, drabs of all degrees...

Gentleman’s Full Dress, November 1806

"EVENING DRESS is almost universally of dark bottle green double-breasted coat with buttons of the same colour...

Gentleman’s Full Dress and Morning Dress, December 1806

"For this dress are used various shades of dark chocolate, brown, and olive coats, which are made in much the same manner as they were last month, both in regard to the collar and lapelle: but the waist is somewhat lengthened...

Court Dress, January 1807

"The hair dressed in natural curls round the face, with a coronet, bandeau, or other ornament in gold--feathers of every kind. The body, sleeves, and petticoat, of rich, full-coloured satin or velvet: the draperies of gauze or tiffany spotted with gold embroidery...

Evening Full Dress, February 1807

"Evening Full Dress for Gentlemen is composed of a dark double-breasted blue coat, ornamented with basket or plain gilt metal buttons; the coat made lapelled, and with pocket flaps at the side, but the pockets put in the plaits behind. A white quilting marseilles waistcoat, single-breasted; the collar to rise tolerably high,...

French Gentleman’s Day Wear, February 1807

The beaver skin spencer is double-breasted, showing the style often seen prints from the first decade of the century, where the standard buttons continue in a row up almost to the shoulder...

Walking Dress for Male and Female, March 1807

"A muslin gown, ornamented with knotted work crossing the shoulder, to correspond with the bottom of the dress...

Morning Walking Dress for Male and Female, April 1807

"A short mantle of orange and purple velvet, made to fasten on the right shoulder, and crossing the bosom, is confined with rich cords and tassels under the left arm...

Morning and Evening Dress, May 1807

"Full Evening Dress for Gentlemen consists of a blue coat, lappeled, flat gilt buttons, and black velvet collar; or a dark silver or brown coat, lappeled, covered buttons, and collar of the same cloth...

Morning Walking Dress for Male and Female, June 1807

"Long square mantelet of primrose silk, embroidered with a dark rich border of embossed ribband; the two ends are tied with a knot on the front of the bosom...

Concert Full Dresses, September 1807

"An elegant Calypso robe, made of rich imperial muslin of a beautiful light yellow, finished at the extreme edge in a line of embossed silver and gold...

Carriage and Walking Dresses, November 1807

"A Danish robe and mantle is formed of beautiful carmine soft satin shot with white; the mantle is made with two gores and one seam behind, the left arm being confined in a long sleeve of the same...

Half Full Dresses, January 1808

"A rich dress of pale pink net, over a white satin slip; the skirt of the dress is made open behind, in imitation of the train frock, with the body in one, trimmed round the bottom with two rows of pink velvet...

Evening Full Dresses, March 1808

"A soft satin, of a beautiful amber and brown shot, worn over a sarsnet slip, made with a short train, a quarter and a half in length on the ground...

Full Dresses, May 1808

"The Marmorice cap is made of white crape ornamented with a small wreath of grape vine, and a bunch of grapes on the right side--the cap is left open behind, and falls flat over the left side of the head, finished with a tassel...

Kensington Garden Dresses, June 1808

"A rich India muslin dress, with a superb embossed border, worked in floss silk, white or coloured, made short,walking length; high in the neck, and drawn full round the throat with a tuban collar falling over...

Gentleman’s Riding Wear, January 1809

The gentleman wears a green wool frock coat, made full in the shoulders, and with long sleeves that reached the knuckles. Beneath his coat, he wears two waistcoats...

French Gentleman’s Day Wear, May 1809

The wool tailcoat ("Habit de Drap") is double-breasted, cut high in the neck, and cut straight at the waist, but short enough to show a strip of the waistcoat underneath. The M-notch lapels are typical of the period....

Gentleman’s Day Wear, October 1809

The coat is likely a light-weight wool, though it is textured, like corduroy. It is single-breasted, cut full in the shoulders, with the sleeves flaring long over the hands...

Gentleman’s Full Dress, April 1810

"Full Dress: Superfine corbeau colour coat, with covered buttons; white marcella waistcoat, single-breasted; light sage green, or cream coloured kerseymere breeches; also those of black Florentine silk are very fashionable and consistent in this style of dress....

Gentleman’s Day Wear, June 1810

His doubled-breasted coat is not the typical open lapel style, but is buttoned all the way up to the neck, with a very narrow collar. The sleeves are quite long, falling over the fingers...

French Gentleman’s Greatcoat, March 1811

This print is an excellent example of the multi-caped greatcoat so popular with gentlemen during the Regency. It was an English style, adopted by the French. The greatcoat was a long overcoat, sometimes three-quarter length, but most often full length, almost reaching the...

Gentleman’s Day Wear, June 1811

The green jacket is double-breasted with a unique style of notched lapel. The shoulders are slightly full, the tail cut straight, and the cuffs hanging low on the hand, which appears to be sporting a yellow kid glove....

French Gentleman’s Riding Wear, December 1811

There are so many interesting details here: the pink-and-white striped cravat; the high shirt-points and ruffled shirt-front; the green gloves; the fobs at his waist; the striped breeches (difficult to see online but they are striped); the visible bootstraps; the spurs on his boots....

Gentleman’s Afternoon Wear, June 1812

Trousers were becoming more fashionable at this time. Not as tight-fitting as a true pantaloon, they nevertheless held a close fit through a narrow ankle...

French Gentleman’s Day Wear, August 1812

The blue coat, likely of light-weight wool, is double-breasted with a gray velvet collar, and a straight high-cut waist. The sleeves are quite full in the shoulder...

French Gentleman’s Skating Costume, January 1813

This wonderful print is intriguing on so many levels. It is rare to see a skater in action in a fashion print. The skates alone are a fascinating bit of history, with their turned up toes and leather straps. But the outfit is simply splendid!...

French Gentleman’s Morning Wear, May 1814

The double-breasted jacket is buttoned almost to the neck, with the hint of a white waistcoat beneath, and a black neckcloth...

French Gentleman’s Day Wear, August 1814

The coat is typically full in the shoulders, with sleeves falling to the knuckles, in the French manner. The collar seems to be of a lighter color. Underneath the coat he wears a short single-breasted waistcoat...

French Gentleman’s Evening Dress, March 1816

The shoulder of this dark blue wool coat are a bit puffed and roomy, and the sleeves are looser than in earlier years...

Gentleman’s Day Wear, August 1816

The green double-breasted tailcoat, probably wool, has wide cuffs, notched lapels, and a collar of black velvet. The style of sleeve at this time has become slightly more loose-fitting, with shoulders cut very full...

 

Return to Fashion Prints