18th Century Mariners' Cuffs

Last updated: Sep 08, 2025

Regarding this style of cuff, Paul Dickfoss writes:

The modern term “mariner’s cuff” (à la marinière) we could just as well call a “slashed cuff” or “cuff in the style of a sailor’ or “sailor’s cuff” or “soldier’s cuff” … It is first seen in the 1730s but becoming more common in the 1750s-1760s on the sleeves of boys & working class men, gentleman, enlisted soldiers & officers. This style of cuff comes in many variations but can make an interesting touch to a man’s jacket or coat.

In addition to men’s coats, the mariner’s cuff also appears on women’s riding habits and redingotes, which adopted details from contemporary menswear. The term à la marinière appears in the descriptive text accompanying some fashion plates from 1786.

• A shoeblack in the right foreground of A Boxing Match in London by Andreas Möller, 1737
• Self portrait by Maurice Quentin de la Tour, 1737
• Cornelis Wynkoop by Pieter Vanderlyn, c. 1743
• The Young Artists by Philippe Mercier, c. 1745
• Jaco-Independo-Rebello-Plaido, 1747
• Portrait of an Unknown Boy Fishing, Possibly Christopher Lethieullier by Arthur Devis, 1749
• Carpenter taking his meal by Gerrit van Zegelaar, mid-18th century
• V&A T.197-1984, a woman’s riding coat, made in England c. 1750-1759
• V&A 467-1907, a broadcloth man’s coat with a brown velvet collar, made in England c. 1750-1759
• The Murder of Kenith Hossack by Captain Lowry by Samuel Wale
• British Resentment or the French fairly Coopt at Louiſbourg, 1755
• V&A T.6-1985, a man’s coat of checked linen, probably made in France c. 1755-1765
• The Comte and Chevalier de Choiseul as Savoyards by François-Hubert Drouais, 1758
• The Stocking Merchant by Paul Sandby, 1759
• London Cries: A Muffin Man by Paul Sandby, c. 1759
• London Cries: A man with a basket, selling pots and pans by Paul Sandby
• The knowing one taken in, c. 1760
• A man in a tricorn hat holding a fur muff by Thomas Patch, 1760s
• Dr Oliver and Mr Peirce, the First Physician and Surgeon Examining Patients Afflicted with Paralysis, Rheumatism and Leprosy by William Hoare, 1761
• John Campbell, Lord Glenorchy, 3rd Earl Breadalbane
• Joseph Scott by John Singleton Copley, c. 1765
• The Lilly-White Maccaroni
• Andrew Wilkinson, 1775
• Portrait of a boy, said to be General James Wolfe, by Philip Mercier
• Rural Life
• Several of the men in the Cries of Dublin, 1760
• National Trust 1348768, a country coat, c. 1760-1775
• Three sons of John, 3rd Earl of Bute by Johan Zoffany, c. 1763-1764
• Francis Burdett by Francis Cotes, 1764
• Portrait of a Host by Peter Jakob Horemans, 1765
• A Sailor giving a Patagonian Woman some Biscuit for her Child, 1767
• John Amory by John Singleton Copley, 1768
• Portrait of his son sketching by Nathaniel Hone, 1769
• The human passions, 1773
• The Mutual Embrace, 1774
• Paternal Love by Ètienne Aubry, c. 1775
• A lady’s riding coat, British, c. 1775
• George Robertson by John Francis Rigaud, 1776
• The Fond Parents, 1776
• Tight Lacing, or Fashion before Ease, c. 1777
• Bachelor’s Fare, or Bread and Cheese with Kisses, 1777
• L’homme à la besace by Françoise Duparc, 1778
• Watson and the Shark by John Singleton Copley, 1778 (also at NGA)
• A countryman carrying a dead rabbit to solicit A Country Attorney, c. 1780
• The Sailor’s Pleasure, 1781
• The Country Tooth-Drawer, 1784
• Card players in a tavern by Jan Ekels, 1784
• Claud Alexander with his brother Boyd, attended by an Indian servant by Johann Zoffany
• The Sharp Family by Johann Zoffany, c. 1779-1781
• Lighting fireworks, Beschrijving van kunst vuurwerken, c. 1780
• Midshipman Augustus Brine by John Singleton Copley, 1782
• Arthur Hill, 2nd Marquess of Downshire by Hugh Douglas Hamilton
• Portrait of a little boy holding a marionette
• A sailor’s double-breasted jacket from the wreck of the General Carleton of Whitby, 1785
• Voyage to Margate, 1786
• Fortune’s Favourites: or Happiness in every Situation, 1786
• Cabinet des Modes, 10e Cahier, 1ere Planche, April 1, 1786: “The Frock coat that the young Man wears that we drew in the FIRST PLATE, has a short height, marked by buttons attached on the hips, with long basques with pockets, descending to under the garter, and which sleeves open à la Marinière, with two buttons.”
• Cabinet des Modes, 14e Cahier, 1ere Planche, June 1, 1786: “The Coat of the young Man is trimmed with large white buttons in mother-of-pearl. The ends of the sleeves are open à la Marinière, and two matching buttons hold them closed a little above on the sides.”
• Cabinet des Modes, 16e Cahier, 1ere Figure, July 1, 1786: “The lapels, the pockets, and the sleeves à la Marinière are trimmed with buttons of white pearl.”
• Cabinet des Modes, 20e Cahier, 1ere Figure, September 1, 1786: “The Lady drawn in this Plate was in half-mourning, and wore a redingote of light grey taffeta, with three large falling collars, with sleeve à la Marinière, and with vertical pockets on the sides.”
• A lady who is dressed for riding in Cabinet des Modes, 21e Cahier, 1ere Figure, September 15, 1786: “She is dressed in a coat of puce Pekin, with three collars, with slightly long basques, and with sleeves à la Marinière. The fronts of the coat, the pockets and sleeves à la Marinière, are trimmed with little flat buttons of white ivory. There are ten of them on each side of the fronts, three on the sleeves, and five on each pocket.”
• Cabinet des Modes, 23e Cahier, 1ere Figure, October 15, 1786: “The fashion for children of both sexes is to wear men's redingotes, in wool, with two collars, and with sleeves à la Marinière.”
  A similar description appeared in English newspapers, including the Ipswich Journal on November 4, 1786: “The following is the preſent Mode of dreſſing Chrildren at Paris. The boy or girl wears a kind of cloth riding coat with two collars, and a ſailor’s cuff, dignified with the title, á la Mariniere; that of the boy is violet-coloured, over a ſilk jacket, and trowſers of the hue of a canary bird’s tail; the girl’s is a ſky-blue, over a boddice of roſe-colour’d ſilk, and a white muſlin petticoat, which covers a blue one.”)
• A woman in a redingote in Cabinet des Modes, 24e Cahier, 2e Figure, November 1, 1786: “The redigote, with two collars and sleeves à la Marinière, is of water green cloth, spotted with a darker green.”
• A woman in a redingote in Magasin des Modes, 2e Cahier, Plate I , November 30, 1786: “The collar and cuffs, slit à la Marinière, are of dark green satin. The buttons are of mother-of-pearl, with a little gold dot in the middle.”
• Smithfield Sharpers, or the Countrymen Defrauded, 1787
• “Faſionable dreſs of the Pariſian ladies — The preſent univerſal dreſs of the French ladies is a riding-coat, with three collars. This habit is generall made of ſlihgt ſilk bleu d’Ardoiſe, or bleu de Roi. The waiſt is ſeparated from the body by two large mother of pearl buttons, three more being fixed on the ſleeves of the riding-coat, which are formed a la mariniere. The coat is uſually lined with ſilk of the ſame colour, but on ſome occaſions it is made without lining and then has a ſlight ornament of white, roſe coloured, crimſon, or ſcarlet taffeta.” (Poulson’s American Daily Advertiser, February 10, 1787)
• Portrait of a boy by Francis Wheatley, c. 1790
• Portrait of the artist’s son as a drummer by Martin Drolling
• The Misses Van and Lady Salisbury by Lady Salesbury, 1791
• A redingote worn by Mrs. William Moseley (Laura Wolcott) with her son Charles by Ralph Earl, 1791
• The Wandering Sailor by Henry Singleton, 1798