Military Epaulets
Unknown Artist
1875–80
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
2009.300.6610a, b
Tags
Art Historical Context
These striking Military Epaulets, crafted between 1875 and 1880 by an unknown American artist, exemplify the shoulder decorations worn by U.S. Army officers during post-Civil War era. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, they form part of the Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection, gifted in 2009 from Eleanor Fayerweather's 9 donation. Made from wool and metallic threads, these epaulets essential uniform accessories, signaling rank and authority through their elaborate design. In the late 19th century, as the American military modernized after the Civil War, epaulets like...