Wedding waistcoat of silk velvet, England, 1844 This boldly patterned velvet waistcoat was worn by William Bingham of Hampstead when he married Mary Louisa Whitehead in 1844. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, many bridegrooms had worn plain or decorated white or coloured waistcoats. In the 1840s men began to wear darker coloured and more richly patterned waistcoats, such as this black velvet with red, blue and yellow check. The patterns of men's waistcoats in the 19th century offered an outlet for individual expression as coats and suits gradually became more uniformly dark in colour. Waistcoat of black, cut velvet with a woven, check pattern of cannellé maroon stripes and pale blue check stripes with yellow striped squares at the crossing points. The waistcoat has a six button SB fastening with a shaped, fairly narrow, curving lapel. The buttons are self covered. There is a slight rounded peak at the waist. There are horizontal, welted pockets and slanting pocket on the left breast. The back is of dark, glazed cotton and the lining is of brown, cotton twill. For adjustment, at the back there are two sets of worked eyelet holes and a white tape, metal tipped lace.