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Clothes for Work
This jacket was worn by Arthur Ford who was gamekeeper to Sir Peter Walker at Osmaston Manor near Derby in the very early twentieth century. It is a decorative formal outfit for wear at shooting parties when the gamekeeper would have been very much on show to assist guests, and would have needed to be conspicuous. The scarlet waistcoat and embossed buttons would have made his function clear to all.
Brown cotton velvet or velveteen was usual for these jackets, and often the matching breeches, which would have had heavier wear, have not survived. On this sort of official occasion, the keeper would also have worn a shirt and tie, and probably a bowler hat. A pattern for a "keeper's suit" is shown below, and this appeared in the Tailor and Cutter's "Practical Guide to Livery Garments" published in about 1905. It is described as being made of heavy tweed or velveteen (like this example) with a "large hare pocket inside the skirt" for carrying the caught grouse or game.
Full item descriptions:
"gamekeeper's jacket" [1964.181]
"waistcoat" [1964.182]
Related Themes:
Men's Servant Dress
Waistcoats
Sports and Leisure
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