18th Century Muffs
Last updated: Feb 20, 2024
Of the use of muffs by men, The Annals of Philadelphia notes: “Gentlemen in the olden time used to carry mufftees in winter. It was in effect a little woolen muff of various colours, just big enough to admit both hands, and long enough to screen the wrists which were then more exposed than now; for then they wore short sleeves to their coats purposely to display their fine linen and plaited shirt sleeves with their gold buttons and sometimes laced ruffles.”
Women often wear a muff with a pelisse.
See also a printed design for a woman's muff c. 1725.
- KCI AC5402 86-26-14, “white silk pongee with polychrome silk embroidery, pailette decoration”
- Met 1984.101, feathers and fur, Britain, third quarter of the 18th century
- MFA 43.1822, France, c. 1774-1793; “White silk covered by white silk ribbon and cord lattice studded with blue, salmon, purple chenille flowers, fly fringe and flowers at sides. White silk lining. Filled with wool batting.”
- Met 1978.280.1, embroidered silk, Britain, c. 1780
- Massachusetts Historical Society 4129, a muff belonging to Hannah Dawes Goldthwaite Newcomb, “Silk exterior and silk lining, both champagne color, with undetermined middle layer. Exterior has embroidered design of an oval floral wreath with a posy of the same flowers and leaves on three stems, tied together with a blue bow.” Probably made in Massachusetts and “fashioned from an earlier peice of clothing.”
- Malmö Museum 239, a silk muff with polychromatic silk and metal-thread embroidery, with silver spangles and ribbon embroidery
- MFA 43.1820, England, c. 1785-1800; “White silk satin with central mezzotint portrait medallion of young woman with lamb in pastoral setting, seed pearl border. Wreath of pink and white crépe flowers and green leaves, green and russet silk embroidery and purple crépe bows. White silk lining. Filled with batting.”
- MFA 43.1823, France; “Green-yellow silk satin with appliquéd white satin central mezzotint portrait medallion of young woman. Wreath embroidered with silver yarns and spangles and red foil leaves. White silk lining. Filled with batting and paper.”
- MFA 43.1824, England, c. 1785-1800; “Ivory silk satin muff, central medallion printed with mezzotint portrait of a woman; embroidered with metallic thread, beads, and spangles”
- Colonial Williamsburg 1958-25, France, c. 1785-1810; “Silk, silk chenille and gauze, metallic sequins and bullion, paint; replaced lining and cotton stuffing. The hand-painted ornament depicts the allegorical figure of Hope with her anchor. The muff originally had strings or ribbons drawn through channels on the ends to snug the fit around the wrists. Faint stitch marks show the original position of the drawstring channels. Muffs were important fashion accessories during this period, worn even indoors.”
- Malmö Museum 230, a silk muff with a landscape drawing
- MFA 95.1426; “Blue satin ground with a powder of white dots. The muff is lined with pink silk and faced with pink satin. Used in Venice.”
- Rijksmuseum BK-NM-9708, c. 1780-1795; large muff of long-haired beige fur, with black satin ribbons sewn at equal distances, lined with light green and white silk. Probably worn by a man.
- Met C.I.39.13.251, c. 1799-1821
Depictions of people wearing or carrying muffs
- Two studies of men by Carlevarijs, c. 1700-1710
- Rehearsal of an opera by Marco Ricci, c. 1709
- Portrait of a lady, c. 1700-1725
- A Taste in High Life, after Hogarth, 1746
- January, mid-18th century
- Portrait of a woman in a red dress with a black muff by Marianne Loir, second half of the 18th century
- Miss Mary Pelham by Sir Joshua Reynolds, c. 1757
- Kitty Fisher by Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1757-1759
- Man in a tricorn hat standing and holding a fur muff by Thomas Patch, 1760s
- Madame Sophie de France by François Hubert Drouais, 1762
- The Female Bruisers by John Collet, 1768
- The canonical beau, or, Mars in the dumps, 1768
- Paysan des Alpes by Henry William Bunbury, 1769-1770
- Portrait of a woman, seated, in a red dress with a black muff by Marianne Loir
- Statute Hall for hiring servants, 1770
- A man wears a muff as he skates by a Carriage-Ride on the Ice in Des Elementarbuchs für die Jugend illustrated by Daniel Chodowiecki, 1770; this seems to be the basis for a later 18th century illustration of a winter scene with figures on the ice (H/T Paul Dickfoss)
- January and May, 1771
- A decoy for the old as well as for the young, 1773
- The Morning Toilet - Boudoir Scene by Pehr Hilleström
- Color print showing women's costume, c. 1775-1780
- Lady Caroline Scott as “Winter” by Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1776
- Miss Juniper Fox, 1777
- Miss Palmer by Sir Joshua Reynolds
- Return from the grand tour, 1778
- Jeune Petit-Maître en peliss, 1778
- Illustrations from Gallerie des Modes et Costumes Français:
11e Cahier, 2e Figure, MFA 44.1328/MFA 44.1327 (1778), a middle class woman with a white drum-shaped muff, matching the fur on her pelisse
16e Cahier, 1ere Figure, MFA 44.1362 (1778), a young lady with a “little muff in her hand, matching the cordon of the pelisse”
19e Cahier, 3e et 4e Figures, MFA 44.1386 (1779), “Bourgeoise at ease … a white muff”
MFA 44.1394 (1779), a man with a redingote en Bakmann with a muff
37e Cahier, 3e Figure, MFA 44.1521 (1781); “informal gown that can be worn in Grand mourning. The muff is of black plumes according to etiquette.”
37e Cahier, 6e Figure, MFA 44.1524, “Pelisse lévite with cuffs and Collar trimmed with ermine, the petticoat of spotted white Satin, the muff of the same trimmed with bands of ermine … This Gown was worn by a Lady of quality during the Mourning for M. Thérèse of Austria, mother of the Emperor and the Queen of France.” (1781) MFA 44.1547 (1782)
39e Cahier (bis 2), 1ere Figure , MFA 44.1566 (1784); lady in morning dress with a silk muff
Court dress in winter - 47e Cahier, 1ere Figure, “a Nymph of slight size … with a white muff of Siberian sheeps' wool”
- 47e Cahier, 6e Figure, an English Beauty with a long-haired muff (1785) 9e Cahier, 1ere Planche, Céphise at the Théatre Française; “She wore on her hands a large Muff of Angora goat, wolf-colored” (March 15, 1786)
- From Magasin des Modes:
3e Cahier, Plate I (1786), winter dress with “a muff of blackish fox, decorated in the middle with a white fox tail and with four very large white spots, and surmounted by a bow of violet ribbon” - A woman of fashion in walking dress by James Roberts
- The Twelve Months: November, 1781
- Sir Charles Turner of Kirkleatham, Yorkshire
- Fashion plate, 1780s
- Fashion plate, 1780s
- Men's costume, 1780s
- Mary Bootle, Mrs Wilbraham Bootle by George Romney, 1781
- Two costume sketches, French, c. 1785-1790
- Modern Defence, or The Siege of Fort Phyllis, 1786
- Madame Molée-Reymond by Elisabeth Vigée-Le Brun, 1786
- Les Incommodités de Janvier 1786 by Inigo Barlow
- The Muff, 1787
- The fox muff, 1787
- Such things are : Telles choses sont : that such things are we must allow, but such things never were till now, 1787
- Color print with women's costume, 1787
- Nicole Ricard by Maurice Quentin de la Tour
- Winter: bless my heart how cold it is, 1788
- The Miseries of the Country by Thomas Rowlandson
- Portrait of an unknown family by Jean Humbert, last quarter of the 18th century/li>
- Lady in the countryside wearing a fur trimmed stole and carrying a muff, 1792
- Pupils of Nature, 1798
- Comfort for an Old Maid, 1800
2e Cahier, 1ere Planche (December 1, 1785), a woman in full dress with a white muff of angora goat, 1780s