Epaulet/Epaulette construction?

[Korisios]

On a lot of drawings of officers from the beginning of the 18th century and on, I see Epaulets on the right shoulder.

Is there anyone wo can point me to a pattern and/or construction illustrations, or ideas of these??

[jendobyns]

I'll try and get a look at the construction on my husband's uniform. Off hand I'd say they're built into the seams at the shoulder/collar points (I can't remember if there are two parts, or one and a button) I also have a pattern around here someplace that should include that feature, PM me later if you don't hear back in a day or so about this.

Jen

[Korisios]

Great thanks, mind you that the early ones I am talking about are different then the later one.

Edited January 30, 2011 by Korisios

[jendobyns]

Do you want the pattern for the epaulette by itself, or the coat pattern with epaulette and construction details of how it goes together into the coat?

Both Henry Cook and Peggee of Williamsburg make 18C coat patterns, Peggee does show a shoulder strap in the pattern pieces. While both coats are later period and Pegee shows it for left side only (because it's a common soldier's coat so it holds the cartridge box strap in place), the general construction details should be valid for what you need. The Henry Cook pattern doesn't show epaulette details, but my husband's officer's coat was made from it, so that detail isn't hard to add. Basically the strap is stitched into the shoulder and held onto the coat with a button at the neck, the epaulette slides over that strap and is held in place once the strap is buttoned down. There appear to be different styles of epaulette depending on rank and other variables, with different types of boullion fringe. In construction it is something like a tube, where the strap slides through, with the decorative top part stitched onto that.

I have other projects literally cooking at the moment, so as I said earlier, PM me later to remind me to post some pictures of all this if you need a visual.

On a lot of drawings of officers from the beginning of the 18th century and on, I see Epaulets on the right shoulder.

Is there anyone wo can point me to a pattern and/or construction illustrations, or ideas of these??

[Grymm]

The epaulette as we would know it today, I think, is introduced mid to late 18thC, earlier officery types wore, as a rank marking, a shoulder knot of silk ribbons or coloured/metallic cords often tipped with an aiglet

There are some but they are small on here http://warsoflouisxiv.blogspot.com/search/label/Uniform%20Plates

Thought I'd hit the motherload with these http://www.geheugenvannederland.nl/?/en/zoekresultaten/pagina/1/Tekening/%28Tekening%29%20AND%20%28isPartOf%20any%20%22KONB06%22%20%29 but the Dutch Ensigns don't wear knots.....bugger!

It could be knotted or stitched round a button sewn onto the shoulder, might be worth finding a War of Spanish Succession group,

http://www.guerradesuccessio.cat/00inici.html

This chap looks like he has a button near the neck and a single cord running down to the knot which could be attached to another button or sewn to the shoulder/arm seam.

Above image from this site http://www.peter.petrobrigada.ru/index_e.htm

Their links page might be worth checking out

[Grymm]

Careful with some of those links to other Russian sites, I got attacked but my virus software stamped on it before it did any damage.

[LadyBarbossa]

Those look more like the Fobs rather than epaulettes. V&A Museum has some photo examples and I don't think there really is a pattern. There were many variations of the shoulder Fobs. Ribbons, cloth, jewels, metal, cameos, mirrors, etc... all were part of these Fobs. At least, that's what were seen from the examples of he V&A. Also, the MYC Met Museum had a couple of them, too.

Sorry if I don't have pictures or links. All that is on my computer and I'm not currently on my comp.

~Lady B

[Captain Midnight]

The one I wear on the shoulder of my formal coat is simply a silk ribbon about 6 or 8 feet long, fringed on both ends, and simply folded into a double loop and pinned to the shoulder at the seam with a silver brooch.

(photo courtesy of Jamaica Rose of No Quarter Given)

Edited February 4, 2011 by Captain Midnight

[jendobyns]

Yep, I have to agree w/ Grymm here, the style I was talking abut is a later 18C style, the ones in the pics (which I had not seen until after my post) are rather different. One looks like there _might_ be a sort of strap across the top of the shoulder, but it's too difficult to tell to be sure.

The epaulette as we would know it today, I think, is introduced mid to late 18thC, earlier officery types wore, as a rank marking, a shoulder knot of silk ribbons or coloured/metallic cords often tipped with an aiglet

There are some but they are small on here http://warsoflouisxi...niform%20Plates

Thought I'd hit the motherload with these http://www.geheugenv...KONB06%22%20%29 but the Dutch Ensigns don't wear knots.....bugger!

It could be knotted or stitched round a button sewn onto the shoulder, might be worth finding a War of Spanish Succession group,

http://www.guerrades...at/00inici.html

This chap looks like he has a button near the neck and a single cord running down to the knot which could be attached to another button or sewn to the shoulder/arm seam.

Above image from this site http://www.peter.pet....ru/index_e.htm

Their links page might be worth checking out

[Korisios]

Ok so a "Fob" (always learning new (to me) english words here) it is. And indeed it looks in many occations to be a ribbon made up into several loops and also showing two fringed.

And sometimes they apear to be just a rope...

[LadyBarbossa]

Oh, how I wish I had my comp. The Fob examples are fantastic.

Yup, you are correct, Jen. There is a single portion/part to the fob that is over the shoulder then splits off so to speak. It's so difficult to describe and easier to show ye. But the image there, is pretty close to how it appears on an outfit.

~Lady B

[Korisios]

I quess some kind of braid is the idear (on this drawing), using multicollored ribbons it might make a fancy adition to ones coat.

on this site guite some guys have them being clearly some indication of rang like with the later (true) epaulets...

Edited February 5, 2011 by Korisios