# Greatcoat

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{{short description|Oversized, heavy overcoat}}
{{redirect|Shinel|the short story by Nikolai Gogol|The Overcoat}}
[[File:Grande Armée - Light Infantry Officers in Greatcoats.jpg|thumb|1812 illustration of two light infantry officers of the [French Imperial Army](/source/French_Imperial_Army_(1804%E2%80%931815)) wearing greatcoats by [Carle Vernet](/source/Carle_Vernet)]]

A '''greatcoat''' (also '''watchcoat''') is a large, woollen [overcoat](/source/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](/source/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](/source/military_uniform), to be worn while on watch (guard duty), hence the term ''watchcoat''.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2021-12-12|last=Shindler|first=Colin|date=2018-11-29|title=Thieves Who Became Heroes|url=https://www.thejc.com/news/all/australia-s-first-jews-thieves-who-became-heroes-1.473288|website=The Jewish Chronicle|language=en}}</ref>

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](/source/Charles_Stanhope%2C_4th_Earl_of_Harrington).<ref>{{cite web|title=The Free Dictionary|url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/petersham|access-date=16 May 2013}}</ref> In the fashion of the [Regency era](/source/Regency_era) (1795–1837) a greatcoat might feature several short capes, usually designed, cut, and [tailored](/source/Tailoring) to the specifications of fit and [aesthetic taste](/source/Taste_(sociology)) of a [dandy](/source/dandy).<ref>[https://candicehern.com/regencyworld/french-gentlemans-greatcoat-march-1811/ French Gentleman’s Greatcoat], Regency World</ref>

==Popular culture==
* ''[Doctor Who](/source/Doctor_Who)'' featured many greatcoats. [Patrick Troughton](/source/Patrick_Troughton) wore one when playing the [Second Doctor](/source/Second_Doctor) in the episode ''[The War Games](/source/The_War_Games)''. [Matt Smith](/source/Matt_Smith) wore an army green greatcoat when playing the [Eleventh Doctor](/source/Eleventh_Doctor) in the episodes ''[Let's Kill Hitler](/source/Let's_Kill_Hitler)'', ''[The Girl Who Waited](/source/The_Girl_Who_Waited)'', ''[Closing Time](/source/Closing_Time_(Doctor_Who))'', and ''[The Wedding of River Song](/source/The_Wedding_of_River_Song)''. [Jack Harkness](/source/Jack_Harkness) wore a navy blue greatcoat in the series and ''[Torchwood](/source/Torchwood)''.

== Gallery ==
<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](/source/Royal_Air_Force) officers in greatcoats inspecting a [Fairey Battle](/source/Fairey_Battle) in France, 1939
File:Yalta Conference cropped.jpg|[Winston Churchill](/source/Winston_Churchill) (left) and [Joseph Stalin](/source/Joseph_Stalin) (right) dressed in greatcoats at the [Yalta Conference](/source/Yalta_Conference), 1945
File:Bundeswehrmuseum Dresden 19.jpg|Mannequins wearing [Bundeswehr](/source/Bundeswehr) greatcoats of the 1960s
File:Vladimir Putin 21 February 2002-3.jpg|Members of the [FSB Border Service of Russia](/source/FSB_Border_Service_of_Russia) parading in greatcoat uniforms, 2002
File:Guarding the Crown Jewels (6645853609).jpg|A sentry of the [Coldstream Guards](/source/Coldstream_Guards) dressed in a greatcoat, 2011
</gallery>

==See also==
*[Trench coat](/source/Trench_coat)
*[Livery](/source/Livery)

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Clothing}}
{{Historical clothing}}

Category:17th-century fashion
Category:18th-century fashion
Category:19th-century fashion
Category:Coats (clothing)
Category:Military uniforms

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Greatcoat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greatcoat) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greatcoat?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.