The term ‘livery’ has a complex history and can refer to uniforms, official insignia, and transportation for hire. It originated from the French word livree, meaning “delivered”, and was originally gifts from masters to servants. Livery was later used as a status symbol for higher-ranking servants and was identified by clothing and insignia. The use of livery for servants faded in the early 20th century, but followers of royalty and lords could still wear it as a badge of loyalty.
The term ‘livery’ is used in a wide variety of ways, betraying its complex history. Today the term can be found used in reference to uniforms, official insignia intended to identify something such as a person’s or company’s membership, and in the sense of a business offering various methods of transportation for hire.
The livery comes from the French word livree, which means “delivered”. It originally took the form of a gift from the master of a house or manor to servants and followers, and such gifts could take a variety of forms, including land, clothing, food, ornaments, and other possessions. Servants often kept these gifts in a “livery closet”.
Over time, many gentlemen began to dress their highest-ranking servants in livery, for a variety of reasons. The ability to afford fancy clothes would have been a status symbol, indicating that a lord could afford to dress his servants, especially in a household where different liveries were used at different times of day and for different events. The liveried servants were also easy to identify, differentiating them from the residents of the house and making it easy to know who they were loyal to when they travelled. Even the liveried servants, of course, would have looked very impressive to visitors.
Not everyone was entitled to livery. It was generally reserved for higher-ranking retainers who would be seen by household residents, and there were livery ranks which gave retainers specific privileges. A servant’s rank could be determined by the style he wore and by various insignia on his clothing. Maids did not wear such dresses, although some attempts have been made to design liveries for women at various times in history.
The use of livery for servants faded out in the early 20th century, replaced with more generic uniforms. Examples of livery can be seen in paintings and in the form of clothing held in museums, illustrating the range of designs and colors that could be worn.
Followers of royalty and lords could also wear livery, in the form of a badge or insignia that identified them to others. As a general rule, a follower was to be granted the right to wear such clothes; in other words, someone couldn’t just decide to wear something that identified them as a follower of a specific person, they had to demonstrate loyalty. This type of clothing often appears in artwork in the form of badges, necklaces, and so on.
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