Suit

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This man's black woollen suit with breeches dates from the early nineteenth century. It belonged to the banker Thomas Couts (1735-1822) and is a typical business man's suit of the period.

The coat has a pointed collar, a square cut front and cutaway tails. Its design is based on the eighteenth-century frock coat.

By 1800 a growing middle class of business and professional men needed, and could afford, more practical clothes. Very few fabrics other than wool were used for men's outer dress. The superiority of the British woollen cloths helped push the trend towards these fabrics. Tailors were also stimulated into producing a better cut and fit in the clothes. Dark colours for men's suits became standard in the nineteenth century, partly to disguise the dirt of cities.

Record details

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• Online ID: 000-180-000-114-C
• Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
• Project: National Museums Scotland Part 2
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• Ref: National Museums Scotland  
• Date: Early 19th century
  
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• References:
  • Tarrant, Naomi. The Development of Costume. London & New York. NMS & Routledge, 1994, pp 96-9. 
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