What do you suppose are the essential accessories a Georgian era gentleman cannot leave home without?

Just what a gentlemen carried depended a great deal on his social clique, such as if he was dandy, a Corinthian, a fop, etc. These items were not typically a “which will I choose today” rather a “I can’t leave home without any of them” necessity.

Accoutrements:

Pocket watch

Fob

Card case

Quizzing glass and fan

Snuff box

Signet ring

Walking stick

Misc: flask, wallet/coin purse, hat, gloves

Pocket watches were open-faced only, as the flip-open covers would not reach us until the Victorian era. They came with a winding key. Watches were attached to a ribbon and fob, then tucked into the fob pocket of the breeches’ waistband.

The fob was the ornament from which an accessory would be attached, such as a pocket watch, but they were an ornament unto themselves with engravings, monograms, coats of arms, gemstones, etc. It was not uncommon to wear two fobs, one on each side, especially if one was a dandy. Fobs ranged from gold chains to leather strips. The more dandified the gent, the more jewels, charms, and tassels would dangle from the fob. Don’t be confused if someone refers to different elements of the fob as the fob because the meaning changed throughout the Georgian era, such as just referring to the fob pocket in which the watch and chain/ribbon was attached, then to the chain/ribbon itself, then to the whole accessory of chain/ribbon/watch/charms, and even just to the charms.

Card cases were a must for one’s calling cards. Cards would be left when calling on someone, either to let the person know one had dropped by or to showcase that one had successfully called. Sometimes these featured only a name, other times a name and address, and still other times a name, address, and at home times for receiving callers.

The quizzing glass and the fan were essential, never-leave-home-without-them accessories, carried by both sexes in the 18th century, but both lessened in popularity by the Regency—the quizzing glass typically only carried by dandies or aristocrats high in the instep, and the fan mostly by women.

Snuff boxes were more for show than function, although taking snuff was all the rage. One wouldn’t be a dandy without taking snuff, but others may simply have it to show off or offer others snuff. The cases were often gold with elaborate engravings or inlays.

A signet ring bore the family’s coat of arms (or any design of the gentleman’s choosing so long as it was unique to that gentleman) and acted as a gentleman’s signature, which would be pressed into wax. Rings, in general, were a must-have accessory, including rings with tokens of love, such as a lock of hair, a miniature portrait, a little bit of snuff, etc. But the signet ring was the top-of-the-line when it came to accessories.

The walking stick replaced the sword. During the earlier 18th c it had been popular to wear a decorative sword at one’s side, but that went out of fashion in the later Georgian era, when the walking stick became the accessory of choice. These would often be elaborate in design, be it the handle, the cane, or both.  

The flask and the purse were optional, the hat and gloves essential. If a gentleman desired a pick-me-up or was picky about what he imbibed, a flask would be nice. As to a purse, gentleman rarely carried coin. Purchases were charged to the gentleman’s account and billed later, more discretely, to his home, and then likely paid by his steward or secretary (the same for the women, although it was the husband or father who paid their bills rather than the steward or secretary). More often than not, a gentleman would have a manservant with him, even if that manservant kept his distance, and so if there was a moment when he might need an ostler to look after his horse, the manservant would take care of the job or pay the ostler rather than the gentleman. That said, a gentleman certainly could carry a small coin purse or wallet, and in it have a few banknotes or coins. The hat and gloves were both part of their attire, so without them, the gentleman, quite literally, would not be fully dressed. It was in their choice of hat and gloves that distinguished them as fashionable or not.