Evening coat

C. G. Gunther's Sons

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The combination of cut and voided velvet, gold lamé and fox fur render this evening coat an exemplar of 1920s-early '30s glamour. C. G. Gunther's Sons was established in 1820 by Christian G. Gunther (1795-1868), a German immigrant who received some of his early training under furrier John. G. Wendell, fur trader John Jacob Astor's brother-in-law. Gunther's catered to both men and women. In 1949, the firm merged with Jaeckel, Inc., another long-established New York furrier; the combined company expanded their offerings to include women's clothing. In 1959, the company was purchased by the Hoving Corp., which, at that time, also owned Bonwit Teller and Tiffany & Co.

The Costume Institute

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Costume Institute's collection of more than thirty-three thousand objects represents seven centuries of fashionable dress and accessories for men, women, and children, from the fifteenth century to the present.

Metropolitan Museum of Art