Capelet
Date: c. 1886
Material: velvet, silk, wool interfacing, metal closures
2019.16
Label: A. E. Burkhardt & Co.
Begun in 1867 by German immigrant Adam E. Burkhardt in Cincinnati, Ohio, as Bukhardt Bros with his brother-in-law. Company was soon changed to A.E. Burkhardt, and were furriers and hatters. The company was extremely successful until a fire in 1891 destroyed the majority of the stock and the showroom, and the panic of 1893 left it bankrupt. Burkhardt's wife and two sons bought the business in 1896, creating their own Burkhardt Bros clothiers, and continued the company into the 1990s.
Black velvet capelet with purple silk lining. Felted wool interfacing. Constructed from four panels: a back, two front panels, and a collar.
Measurements:
Bust: 41 inches
Shoulder to shoulder: 10.5 inches
Neck circumference: 14.75 inches
Neck to shoulder seam: 3.75 inches
Nape to back bottom: 15.25 inches
Neck to bottom front: 19 inches
Shoulder seam to side bottom edge: 14 inches