Prussian official mountain tailcoat

A sturdy item of clothing with a festive name: the tailcoat has the typical swallow tail, but as part of a miner’s uniform it also has the features of service clothing. It is made of black fabric, meanwhile somewhat faded to grey, and it has an embroidered stand-up collar instead of a lapel. The mountain coat is fastened at the centre front with hooks. A striking feature is the reinforced V-shaped breast section, which is decorated with eight riveted buttons on the left and right, which are likewise arranged in a V-shape. The reddish gilded brass buttons depict a mallet and iron. A three-looped decoration emanates from each of them. The shoulder area of the uniform is accentuated, while the sleeves are adorned with shiny silk ruffle cords. The wide cuffs are made of velvet, which contrasts shinily with the matt outer fabric of the tailcoat. The stitching on the stand-up collar indicates that the tailcoat belonged to a foreman. In addition to the tailcoat, the uniform also included a chess hat with a plume and a so-called ‘arse leather’, the traditional leather apron.