Austrian Imperial Era, General Officers Gala Dress Coat, Identified
This item is listed for historical interest only. It was listed on our site previously but has been sold and is no longer available for purchase.
Sold for: $995.00

Original period manufacture. White doeskin wool, double breasted coat with red wool collar and cuffs. Gold brocade cuff decoration in the width for a General officer on each cuff, nearly full complement of General officer pattern buttons throughout, missing two on the tail. White silk body lining, with red silk lined skirts, and a red wool lined collar. Vienna tailors label sewn to the interior of the chest pocket, with the owners name, and what appears to be Generalmajor rank, and a date of 09. . Overall the coat needs a gentle cleaning as the white wool is a little dingy, with some minor staining in spots on the wool, showing typical wear and use by a costume house. All in all, it remains a regulation example of the Imperial Austrian General Officers Gala Dress Coat. Size about a 38 regular. Quite likely this coat, and many like it, formed part of the large purchase of Imperial Austrian items by Hollywood back in the 1920's. If you do a search for the Western Costume Research Library, there is a very interesting story about the purchasing of these artifacts for the 1928 Erich von Stroheim directed epic "The Wedding March". When literally thousands of uniforms, hats, swords, equipment, medals, and the Royal Hapsburg Coach, were purchased and sent to Hollywood for the filming. They remained in stock at the costume houses until the early 1990's. I remember when attending the old Great Western Show in Pomona, seeing heaps of Austrian uniforms lying on the floor behind dealers tables. They were there to be rummaged through, seeking that elusive treasure, pay the bill and off you go.