Lounge suit
Unknown Artist
late 1840s
Medium
wool, silk, cotton
Classification
Lounge suit
Culture
American
Department
Costume Institute
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, The German Fur Federation Gift, 1981
Accession Number
1981.12.4a–c
Art Historical Context
Step into the elegant world of mid-19th-century American menswear with this lounge suit from the late 0s. Crafted from a luxurious blend of wool, silk, and cotton, this exemplifies the tailored sophistication of its era. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume, it was acquired through a generous gift from The German Fur Federation in 1, highlighting its enduring value as a cultural artifact. The lounge suit marked a pivotal shift in fashion history, emerging as a more relaxed alternative to the rigid frock coats of earlier decades. In 1840s America, rapid industrialization and soci...