18th Century European Dress
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Glasgow Museums has a collection of approximately 100 items of eighteen-century European dress dating from 1700 to 1800. This collection encompasses men's wear, women's wear and some infants' wear, accessories and lace, including some pieces of national importance. Of particular significance is a rare man’s coat of hard tartan from the 1740s, and a cream silk polonaise gown worn in 1780–81.
The Acts of Union between Scotland and England in 1706 and 1707 led to the creation of Great Britain. For the most part the 1700s was a period of economic growth, supported at home by the technological advancements of the early industrial revolution, and abroad by trade and colonialism, including the transatlantic slave trade. This led to a huge increase in the consumption of material goods, including fashionable clothing, not only by rich aristocrats and the gentry, but also by a growing number of wealthy professional middle-class families. Yet despite more goods being produced, dress was still relatively expensive. As a result, items were often reused, altered or even remade, with many given to younger siblings, children and servants, or sold on the second-hand market. Formal dress for both sexes was dominated by French styles emanating from the court at Versailles and, after the French Revolution, Paris. However, during the late 1700s taste both at home and on the continent was influenced by a more informal English style of dress.
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18th Century European Dress Accessories
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