Artifact: Broadcloth Frock Coat
Materials: broadcloth, silver threads, bullion, and sequins
Dimensions: OL: 41 1/2"
Date: 1775-1785
Origin: England
Collection: Image Courtesy of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
License: All rights reserved
Ledger Entry: Broadcloth
Department: Textile
Customer: Hugh West Jr.
Ledger Page: 83
Imported From:
Product Description
Broadcloth is a type of sturdy wool that was both carded and fulled. It was primarily used for clothing, particularly for coats and outerwear.
Citation: Florence M. Montgomery. Textiles in America, 1650-1870 : a Dictionary Based on Original Documents : Prints and Paintings, Commercial Records, American Merchants' Papers, Shopkeepers' Advertisements, and Pattern Books with Original Swatches of Cloth. (New York :Norton, 1984), 177-179.;
Historical Price: 11 shillings per yard; Modern USD: $123
Product Variations
The databases record six purchases of broadcloth. Of these, two are black and one is scarlet, two are identified as fine and a third as finest, indicating a range of qualities and colors of broadcloth. We can't always trust these qualifiers however, since the entry for finest black broadcloth is the lowest price at eighteen pence per yard and the prices range up to fourteen shillings six pence per yard for fine broadcloth.
