Nankin-style Inspector's Uniform And Pants, As Prescribed By The Messidor An VIII (1800) Regulation,

INSPECTOR'S COAT AND TROUSERS IN NANKIN STYLE, in accordance with the Messidor An VIII (1800) regulation, Consulate. 27228

COAT
Long coat made entirely of Nankin cloth, embroidered on the collar and front facings, lapels, back pockets, and cuffs with foliage motifs in ivory-colored cotton thread. On the front of the coat, six uniform buttons made of wood covered with Nanking cloth embroidered with foliage, 2.4 cm in diameter; only the top two buttonholes are used. Collar with lapels, 11.5 cm wide. Straight lapels, height 7.3 cm. Back pockets with flaps, height 9 cm, width 19.5 cm. Waist tie with a coat button. Each side panel is fastened with a button at the bottom. Inner lining of white cotton canvas.
PANTS
Nankin-cloth pants, bridge-style, fastening at the front with a fly featuring three wooden buttons covered in nankin cloth; button diameter 2 cm. This section is covered by a flap measuring 14 cm high and 34 cm wide, which fastens with one of the fly buttons and one button on each side at the front pockets; button diameter: 1.6 cm. Patch pockets on the front, on either side of the fly, 15.5 cm wide. Waistband, approximately 7.3 cm high, fastened by the fly buttons and featuring a small gusset pocket 7.3 cm wide. Two side pockets, each 16 cm high. The back is adjusted with a drawstring. The bottom of the legs is cinched with five buttons, each 1.2 cm in diameter, and a drawstring at the bottom. Lined with white wool canvas.
Waist circumference: 94 cm.
Leg length from waist to bottom of leg: 56 cm.
Leg length from crotch to bottom of leg: 37 cm.

France.
Consulate period.
Very good condition.

NOTE:
The color name “nankin” is a trade name used in the clothing and dyeing industries, for which there are two interpretations. One refers to the light yellow or beige color—somewhere between apricot and buff—of the tightly woven cotton fabric known as “nankin,” originally manufactured in the city of Nanjing, and later in India and other parts of the world; the other refers to a distinctive bright yellow, likely a reference to the imperial color of China. This fabric was introduced to Europe, manufactured in Italy in Bologna and Florence, then in France in Lyon as early as the 16th century, as well as in Tours, Avignon, Paris, and Montpellier, for chair and furniture upholstery. This fabric was used primarily for its durability in men’s summer attire in the early 19th century (pants, vests, jackets).
In the French army, a daily order dated 30 Germinal, Year X, stipulated that the mounted chasseurs of the Consuls’ Guard were to wear nankin uniforms.
To protect French commerce, a decree dated February 22, 1806, prohibited the importation of white cotton fabrics, among other items. Cotton-wool blends were subject to an import tax upon entry into the territory of the Empire.