Wedding cravat

Art Historical Context

Step into the refined world of 19th-century American fashion with the *Wedding Cravat*, a exquisite silk necktie crafted by the firm Keys & Lockwood in 5. This delicate accessory, preserved in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, the elegance of Victorian-era menswear. Cravats like this were starched and tied into precise knots, serving as a focal point of a gentleman's formal ensemble—especially for a bridegroom on his wedding day. Made from luxurious silk, the cravat highlights the material's prestige in Gilded Age America, where such fine textiles were imported or domestically produced to signal wealth and sophistication. Keys & Lockwood, known for quality haberdashery, contributed to the burgeoning American fashion industry post-Civil War, blending European influences with local craftsmanship. Today, this piece from the Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection (gifted in 2009 via Mrs. James McF. Baker) offers a tangible glimpse into wedding traditions and social customs of 1875. It reminds us how everyday adornments encapsulated personal milestones and cultural aspirations.