Breast plate

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Kmaddock

Fernando
I clicked in all excited that you had commented and i would get your expertese on what i have located and all I get is

Bizarre .

You must know more than that :-)

The fact of the timber so crudely attached inside is a positive to me as it might imply it was not made to be hung on a wall and is in fact European early 1800's armour

Regards

ken

Ken, I agree with your observation on this perhaps an 1800s armor, and though I cannot see how the 'timber' is not an impairment to wearing this it is hard to imagine how it was intended to be worn.


It is far too mundane, even beyond munitions grade, for anything actually intended as a 'wall hanger', despite the shape and raised lip at bottom which recalls the peas'cod type breast plates.


When I think of the home made armor that actually is known to have been made for actual use in the 1800s, an example that comes to mind actually does meet the 'bizarre' term.......that was the 'harness' devised by the Australian outlaw Ned Kelly in the late 1870s (attached). As for other instances there were steel plates and 'vests' worn in a few cases in the 'wild west' and there were cases during the Civil War of such plates.


While this is crude, there seems to have been some effort to have followed traditional styling, and in that regard, perhaps this is a stage prop for theater. There have been many cases in examining items thought to be original weapons, armor etc which have indeed turned out to be in this category.