During the 1840s, cloaks were warm and practical garments to be worn over contemporary dresses with their close-fitting sleeves and bodices, sloping shoulder lines and domed skirts. This example is made of brownish-black wool twill woven with a large, plaid-like overcheck in coral and cream. Similar contrasts of glowing colours on rich, dark grounds are characteristic of the 1840s, and apparent in the designs of many printed and woven dress fabrics. The full length cloak has bound arm slits beneath a caped section that is attached at the neck and along the front edges, providing extra warmth. Its front extensions ape the scarf panels of the popular pelerines of preceding decades. The body of the garment is lined in the same dark twill that was also used extensively for men’s waistcoats at the time, but the inside of the front that was most likely to be glimpsed as its wearer moved is quilted in bright pink silk. The silk has perished in places, revealing the interlining of unspun wool. The lines of the cloak are emphasised by borders of black velvet ribbon.