source: MET online collections
These are uncut pieces of French silk, which were embroidered in the 18th century, waiting to be cut and made into gentlemen's waistcoats.
I love the poetry of this suspension in time.
How the embroidery shows the shape and layout economy of the pattern (something that the chalk of the time couldn't have sustained long enough to reach us 300 years later).
How we can read front, back, pockets, collars, and buttons from simple geometric cues.
How we can gauge the size of seam allowances in the in-between space.
The many scenarios we can imagine as to why these waistcoats were never cut and assembled into a piece of clothing; did the customer dislike them and change his mind? were they made without a customer in mind, like ready-to-wear, and never found someone who chose them? was there a sudden interruption in the tailor's business, which caused these pieces to never be finished?
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