The Ornamented Being

O! say can you see by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

c.1775–83

The Met says: This example of a uniform jacket worn by an officer during the American Revolution is completely hand-made. Owned by Col. William Taylor, it shows a significant amount of wear. Color, style and number of buttons are among the features used to identify one’s military unit, or regiment, in this case Connecticut Regiment 1776