Artifact: Leather Breeches
Materials: Leather
Dimensions: OL: 33" Inseam: 22" Waist 31 1/2"
Date: 1820-1825
Origin: America
Collection: Image Courtesy of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
License: All rights reserved
Ledger Entry: Leather Breeches
Department: Clothing
Customer: Captain George Mercer
Ledger Page: 359
Imported From: Most of the ready to wear clothing sold in the Ramsay store would have been imported from England. Textiles were one of the largest departments of the store, indicating that most customers made their own clothing.
Product Description
Breeches are a men's lower body garment that typically terminated just below the knee. The breeches could be closed and fastened by either buttons or by a draw-string, but in the eighteenth century, decorated buckles were often used both the fasten the breeches and as fashion accessories. Breeches were largely covered by the long coats and waistcoats popular at the time.
Citation: Accessed February 26, 2017. https://www.history.org/history/clothing/men/mglossary.cfm;
Historical Price: 7 shillings, 6 pence; Modern USD: $84.1
Product Variations
The databases record eight purchases of breeches. Four of these are leather, three are knitted, and the eighth is qualified as better. Their prices range from seven shillings six pence to eighteen shillings nine pence.
