By the 1830's, single-breasted coats were more popular than double in men's wear. By the mid to late '30's, popular coats worn by those in the know were tail coats, frock coats, cutaway coats and sack coats. Dropped shoulder lines were in vogue, with the collar of the coat traveling much lower. And just as in the previous decade, a feminine type male figure defined the cut of the well-dressed 1830's man.

Man in frock coat with plaid vest, 1855. from Karl Kohler's Kostumewerk

Facial hair gained in popularity in the 1850's, 60's and 70's, not really going out of fashion until after 1900, and then only gradually.

Men's dress in this era continues in it's general dullness but begins to be enlivened with sportswear, an area that continues to provide the most intriguing variants of men's dress.

Hunting suits of the 1870's

A popular accessory in Victorian times of 19th century England, when it was common for gentlemen to wear before lighting his cigar or pipe, usually after dinner, to absorb the tobacco aroma. Some countries have adopted them into the casual and formal tuxedo. Originally this item was designed for men. It was a symbol of excellence, masculinity, and social class.

This needlework pattern for a gentleman's smoking cap was provided in the February 1872 issue of the Victorian woman's magazine, Peterson's Magazine. It was to be worked in "appliqué and braid." The magazine suggested brown and green cloth, or brown and green cashmere.

Victorian Embroidery Pattern for Gentleman's Smoking Cap - 1872

Victorian needlework pattern for a man's cap.

Many of the lady’s fashion publications of the nineteenth century devoted pages to fancy designs for at home fashions for the refined Victorian gentleman – house robes, slippers, and especially smoking caps. A smoking cap or lounging cap was popular as informal gentleman’s wear from the late 1840s through the 1880s. They were originally worn to keep the head warm in drafty rooms but continued to be in style long after improvements in heating eliminated their necessity. The smoking cap was the perfect gift for a young lady to embroider for her fiancé or for a wife to create for her husband.

Highly fashionable Russian gentlemen from cigarette advertising of the 1890-1910 period.