3-021-609 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

The new court costume, 1869. 'The order issued a few days ago by the Lord Chamberlain for the future regulation of the dress of gentlemen presented at her Majesty's Court seems to be very generally approved. The gentlemen at Court may take their choice of two completely new dresses, or they may still retain the ancient Court dress, with its long waistcoat and bag'wig. They may henceforth wear at Levées a dark-coloured cloth dress coat, with a stand-up collar embroidered in gold, a white waistcoat, and dark-coloured cloth trousers, with a gold stripe down the seam; substituting for these last garments, on Drawingroom days, cloth breeches and black or white silk hose. Or they may appear in a dress consisting, for Levées, of a black silk-velvet dress-coat, with gilt, steel, or plain buttons, a white or black silk-velvet waistcoat, black velvet trousers, a black cocked-hat, and a gilt or steel hilted sword. At Drawingrooms, black silk-velvet breeches, with black silk hose, shoes, and gilt buttons are to be worn'. From "Illustrated London News", 1869.