Tailcoat

The collection of formal wear donated to the POLIN Museum is one of the few mementoes that have survived from Wacław Moszkowski. It is unknown how the clothes survived the war because the building in which the Moszkowski home was located was destroyed during the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. The donor remembers from his childhood how his grandmother searched the ruins of the house for several years after the war to find any items that had survived in the rubble.

The woollen tailcoat testifies to Wacław Moszkowski's belonging to the pre-war Warsaw elite. He probably wore it to balls and participated in cultural events in the company of artists and intelligentsia of the inter-war period. The tailcoat was made of woollen cloth in black. It is composed of several elements sewn together, making it possible to precisely tailor the suit (waistline). The front of the tailcoat is fastened with a single button. Its halves are cut diagonally so that the rear part of the suit is much longer than the front. On the left side, there is a buttonhole trimmed with metal thread. The lining of the tailcoat is made of silk. On the inside of the collar, there is a label with the maker's name (Fr. W[...]ski|WARSZAWA), which is partially visible due to ripping off the fibres. There are four pockets in the lining: two at chest level (on both sides) and two in the tailcoat's rear halves. Construction fabric in the form of linen canvas is between the cloth and the silk lining.

Marta Frączkiewicz