From military style jackets to informal housecoats, three tartan coats in our collection demonstrate the range of styles and uses of these garments in Georgian Britain.

Silk tartan banyan, c. 1760

A banyan was an informal housecoat, worn by gentlemen when at leisure in the privacy of their own homes. To own such a garment was a declaration of one’s wealth and social status. They were often constructed using expensive materials and spoke to a lifestyle free of physical toil.

This example is made of a fine silk tartan and belonged to the Hays of Yester, East Lothian. The back of the garment was altered in the 19th century to resemble the tails of a formal frock coat, probably for use at a fancy dress ball or home theatrical.

Tartan coat worn by Sir John James Scott-Douglas, c.1819

This short coat of Royal Stewart tartan belonged to Sir John James Scott Douglas when he was a Captain in the 22nd Light Dragoons, at the age of 27. It is made of worsted tartan with blue velvet facings. Sprays of thistles have been embroidered at the cuffs and collar, using silver metal thread. Single-breasted with a straight cut-away at the hips, the coat is fastened by a row of domed white metal buttons of a type commonly seen in military clothing.

Tartan coat worn by Sir John James Scott-Douglas, c.1822

Also belonging to Sir John James Scott Douglas, this second coat is made of a fine worsted and silk weaving of the Royal Stewart tartan. It has green velvet facings, decorated with gold thistle motifs at the cuffs and collar. Two rows of cut-glass buttons backed with foil frame the centre front of the coat, the sleeve closures and coat tails. The curved cut-away of the coat over the hips is suggestive of elite court styles of the era.