unknown - Design for the Embroidery of a Main's Waistcoat - 1780–1790 - T-Shirt

This watercolour design shows a scalloped band of flower sprays in red, violet and blue, drawn as a pattern for the embroidered front of a late eighteenth-century man's waistcoat.

Visual Elements & Composition

Parchment dominates the sheet, giving the bouquets a pale, open ground. Violet outlines frame the garment's edges, and a larger central motif sits at the point with smaller sprigs on either side. Within the flowers, a red and pink rose, a deep violet bloom with a pale blue centre, a fringed red flower and a purple and gold blossom stand out against sage green leaves. Grey-brown pointed leaves with brown tips frame the central motif and the band's ends, while clusters of dark berries add weight on the right. Pale grey-white scallops hang beneath the blooms, and faint pencil lines show through the light, transparent washes.

Meaning & Symbolism

Loose, naturalistic bouquets like these reflect the taste for ornate floral embroidery in men's dress of the 1780s and 1790s, when richly worked waistcoats were a visible mark of fashion. The drawing served as a pattern for embroiderers to copy onto silk or satin before stitching. Sheets of this kind passed between tailors, embroiderers and clients, which is how a garment's decoration was planned and agreed before a single stitch was made.

Wearing the Pattern

A waistcoat front is a curved, angled surface, and this composition is arranged to follow those edges so the scalloped band wraps across the chest. On this tee, the same floral band runs across the front of the shirt, keeping the scallops and central motif in view as you move through the day.