A Victorious Spencer
Aurora Tellenbach
Had things been different, we would have visited the Two Temple Place and the exhibition Unbound about this time. And there, we would have admired, among others, an amazingly delicate silk Spencer jacket from around 1815.
We often associate the Spencer with Jane Austen adaptations, a short jacket with a very a high waistline and long sleeves. This particular Spencer is richly decorated both front and back. What makes it stand out is its epaulettes and cuffs of a military design. The lady was clearly keen to show her support of the British troops during the Napoleonic Wars and the victory at Waterloo.
Originally the jacket was named after George, 2nd Earl Spencer, born 1758. He was a politician, book-collector, First Lord of the Admiralty, Ambassador to Vienna and eventually Home Secretary at the beginning of the 19th century. By then the Spencer jacket was a popular garment for both men and women. As story goes, Earl Spencer lost the tails to his coat when they were burned by coals from a fire. As it turned out to be a practical change of men’s wear, it was adapted as a mess dress by the British military officers. For ladies it became equivalent to a cardigan.
This particular Spencer is part of the Olive Matthews collection at the Chertsey Museum. Grace Evens, the Keeper of Costumes, have posted a blog about it — Unbreakable Threads Part 5 — if you want to read more about it.
How to get there?
· https://chertseymuseum.org/fashion_blog
· Scroll down to Unbreakable Threads Part 5
