By Alden O'Brien
To seek relief from the oppressive heat and humidity during the summer months, gentlemen in England and the Colonies would swap out their heavier winter garb for breathable linens and cottons and lightweight wools and silks. As such, this fine cotton waistcoat with elaborate golden detailing, handsome cuffs and fashionable pockets—dating from about 1725–1740—would have been a welcome summer alternative.
Except in the privacy of their homes, the Colonial gentry essentially wore the same garments whatever the season, so a change in fabric made an enormous difference in personal comfort and likely led to a more agreeable disposition. Lionel Chalmers, a contemporary of Thomas Jefferson, once compared the air of a South Carolina summer “to that glow which strikes one, who looks into a pretty warm oven.”
Americans familiar with hotter areas of the country can doubtless empathize with Chalmers, while simultaneously rejoicing that modern culture allows for fewer clothes to be worn than our ancestors had to endure.