Breeches

Status

Not on view

Label Text

In a June 1, 1772 diary entry, George Washington described Virginia summers as "very hot & Sultry." To offset the extreme temperatures, gentlemen like Washington wore suits made of light weight and breathable white cotton. Washington would have likely worn this pair of breeches with a matching cotton waistcoat as he surveyed his farms in the morning, only to change into more formal day wear when he returned to the Mansion to greet or entertain guests.

Read MoreRead Less

Date1785-1795

Geography Possibly made - EnglandPossibly made - United States

Medium/TechniqueCotton, linen, pasteboard

Credit LinePurchase, 1949

Object numberW-1515

DescriptionCotton twill fall front opening breeches with a watch, side seam, and two under-fall pockets, the whole is lined in linen; the breeches fasten with three fabric covered buttons on a wide waistband; the fall front attaches to the waistband by two additional fabric colored buttons; under the fall are two front pockets; the wide waistband also features a small watch pocket set to the right of the opening and a gusset at the center back; on either side of the gusset are two tabs, one longer than the other to adjust the fit of the waist; a pocket is set into the right side seam; the full seat and splayed legs narrow towards the knee where a vertical lap vent is closed with five fabric covered buttons and a buttoned knee band.
Published ReferencesJames C. Rees, Treasures from Mount Vernon: George Washington Revealed (Mount Vernon, VA: Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1999), 73.

Centennial Celebration of the Inauguration of George Washington as First President of the United States. Committee on Art and Exhibition, Catalogue of the Loan Collection of Portraits, Relics, and Silverware Exhibited at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, April 17th to May 8th, 1889 (New York: Trow's Printing and Bookbinding Company, 1889), 77.

Mount Vernon's object research is ongoing and information about this object is subject to change. For information on image use and reproductions, click here.