Greatcoat
Oversized, heavy overcoat
title: "Greatcoat" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["17th-century-fashion", "18th-century-fashion", "19th-century-fashion", "coats-(clothing)", "military-uniforms"] description: "Oversized, heavy overcoat" topic_path: "history/military" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greatcoat" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Oversized, heavy overcoat ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Grande_Armée_-_Light_Infantry_Officers_in_Greatcoats.jpg" caption="French Imperial Army]] wearing greatcoats by [[Carle Vernet"] ::
A greatcoat (also watchcoat) is a large, woollen overcoat designed for warmth and protection against wind and weather, and features a collar that can be turned up and cuffs that can be turned down to protect the face and the hands, while the short rain-cape at the shoulders protects from the wind and repels rain. In the 19th century, such a coat was part of a soldier's military uniform, to be worn while on watch (guard duty), hence the term watchcoat.
The drape of the greatcoat reached to below the knee of the wearer, the short cape drapes to the elbow, and the capacious external pockets allow the wearer to carry dry food and other items; an example is the Petersham coat, named after Viscount Petersham. In the fashion of the Regency era (1795–1837) a greatcoat might feature several short capes, usually designed, cut, and tailored to the specifications of fit and aesthetic taste of a dandy.
Popular culture
- Doctor Who featured many greatcoats. Patrick Troughton wore one when playing the Second Doctor in the episode The War Games. Matt Smith wore an army green greatcoat when playing the Eleventh Doctor in the episodes Let's Kill Hitler, The Girl Who Waited, Closing Time, and The Wedding of River Song. Jack Harkness wore a navy blue greatcoat in the series and Torchwood.
Gallery
File:French cavalry man's cloak from 1812.JPG|The greatcoat of a French dragoon worn in 1812 File:Soldier in greatcoat (3774187).jpg|A British soldier wearing his Army-issue greatcoat during World War I File:Sir Cyril Newall and Lord Londonderry in France.jpg|Royal Air Force officers in greatcoats inspecting a Fairey Battle in France, 1939 File:Yalta Conference cropped.jpg|Winston Churchill (left) and Joseph Stalin (right) dressed in greatcoats at the Yalta Conference, 1945 File:Bundeswehrmuseum Dresden 19.jpg|Mannequins wearing Bundeswehr greatcoats of the 1960s File:Vladimir Putin 21 February 2002-3.jpg|Members of the FSB Border Service of Russia parading in greatcoat uniforms, 2002 File:Guarding the Crown Jewels (6645853609).jpg|A sentry of the Coldstream Guards dressed in a greatcoat, 2011
References
References
- Shindler, Colin. (2018-11-29). "Thieves Who Became Heroes".
- "The Free Dictionary".
- [https://candicehern.com/regencyworld/french-gentlemans-greatcoat-march-1811/ French Gentleman’s Greatcoat], Regency World
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