Military epaulets
Unknown Artist
1864
Medium
Wool, metallic
Classification
Military epaulets
Culture
American
Department
Costume Institute
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Eleanor Fayerweather, 1949
Accession Number
2009.300.6607a, b
Tags
Art Historical Context
These striking military epaulets, crafted in 1864, hail from the height of the American Civil War a pivotal conflict that tested the nation's unity. Adorning the shoulders of Union Army officers, they served as essential insignia denoting rank and authority on the battlefield. Produced amid the industrial fervor of wartime America, such pieces were vital for maintaining discipline and hierarchy among soldiers facing grueling campaigns like those at Gettysburg or Atlanta. Made from wool fabric embroidered with metallic threads—likely gold or silver bullion—the epaulets exemplify 19th-century t...