Breeches

Description

A pair of silk twill breeches (lined with cotton twill and linen) originally belonging to a member of the duPont family, marked "H. Dupont" in ink on the lining. These were probably assembled in the United States from British fabric between 1775 and 1810. The date range has been determined by the overall design of the breeches. The legs end above the knee and a seam slit on the outer side of each leg closes with five cloth covered (wooden core) buttons. The fall panel at the front is secured at the sides by additional covered buttons. The button fly behind the drop panel secures with three larger covered buttons and the seat of the breeches is generously proportioned. A rectangular iron buckle with three prongs is attached roughly to the back of the waistband with coarse thread. The thread is roughly wrapped around the buckle. The prongs of the buckle are designed to grip the fabric of a short belt without piercing through and the belt is not pierced with holes. There are a several replacement buttons (made of glass, porcelain and possibly casein), suggesting that these breeches were worn over an extended time period, possibly for ceremonial use.