Trousers

Art Historical Context

Step into the world of mid-19th-century American with these unassuming yet revealing *Trousers* from the 1850s, housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. Crafted cotton and linen by an unknown maker, this garment exemplifies everyday menswear of the era, when trousers had fully evolved from breeches into a staple of modern Western dress. The practical blend of fabrics—cotton for durability and linen for breathability—reflects the resourcefulness of American textile production during a time of industrial growth and agricultural abundance. In the 1850s, as the United States ...