The Physical Manifestation of an Abstraction: A Pair of 1750s Waistcoat Shapes

Abstract

A pair of tamboured French waistcoat shapes in the V&A's collection bears Customs stamps from the reign of George II. Examination of both the garment and Customs records held by the National Archives reveals the illegal commerce in textiles in eighteenth-century Britain, and the reasons why such goods were taxed or banned. The political, social, administrative and fashion contexts of textile smuggling are discussed, as well as its numerous methods of execution, allowing speculation on the exact progress of the waistcoat shapes from embroiderer's workshop to museum storeroom.

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