A Vest from Lincoln’s Inaugural Ball
By Mary Elizabeth Corrigan
The Cranston Historical Society's collections include many objects that relate to the American Civil War, including this silk matlessé waistcoat, worn to Lincoln's second inaugural ball in 1865 by Joseph H. Barrett. This vest was given to the Cranston Historical Society by Miss Catherine Bryant, a descendant of Barrett, in 1977.
Barrett (1824-1910) was the Commissioner of Pensions and one of the earliest Lincoln biographers. In 1860 his “Abraham Lincoln of Illinois” was published. After Lincoln's assassination in April, 1865 Barrett published an updated edition of the biography that included Lincoln's presidency and death, retitling it “Life of Abraham Lincoln.”
This waistcoat is hand sewn with white silk and cotton thread. The waistcoat fronts are made from white and pale bluesilkmatlessé, which is a fabric woven to resemble an intricately quilted and embroidered pattern. The waistcoat is single-breasted with a Shawl collar and closes with fabric-covered wooden buttons. Inside the bottom edge of the waistcoat is a strip of fine leather lining which would have helped to keep the waistcoat smooth and not bunch up over the trousers.The pointed waist was popular in the 1840s, so this was either a vest that Barrett had owned and worn to formal events before, or it was a new vest that he had made in the same style of those he had worn as a younger man.
The vest would always be worn underneath a coat, so the back of the vest is made of inexpensive white cotton. The coat would also conceal a small tab and buckle that would allow the wearer to adjust the waist. This design detail is another hint that the vest was intended for a lifetime of use, because the fit could be very easily adjusted. At a time where men’s fashions were unrelentingly conservative and uniform, the choice of black or white waistcoat and tie were the only areas where a man could express his individual taste in fashion.
To celebrate Lincoln's re-election, the Inaugural Ball was held on March 6th 1865 at the Post Office Building (today the National Portrait Gallery) in Washington D.C. Important guests received invitations and tickets were also available to the public. For $10, a gentleman and two ladies gained entrance to a lavish evening of dancing followed by a midnight buffet. The Washington Evening Star reported there were undignified scenes of guests taking entire platters of food when it was finally served. Barrett's vest shows two small stains that may have happened as the 4,000 guests enjoyed the buffet that March night in 1865.