The Official Uniforms
of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities [*]
We, Maximilian Joseph, King of Bavaria by God’s Grace.
In order to accord to the members of Our newly established Academy of Sciences and Humanities an honorable sign of distinction commensurate with their ranks, We have resolved to authorize a specific uniform for them, and have in this regard made the following resolutions:
1. The President of the Academy will wear as:
State garment on gala days and at other solemn or celebratory occasions a garment of dark blue cloth, with white silk lining, and with a standing collar of crimson silk.
The entire garment is bordered by a rich gold embroidery of intertwined oak leaves and laurel branches of the width stipulated in figure 1.
The gold-plated buttons are decorated with the crowned lion; — the vest and leggings of white cloth, with evenly spaced buttons, do not have the embroidery.
Our name is embroidered in silver and blue silk on the golden sword belt with bouillons [flounces].
The hat has a golden loop and tassels of bouillons, without any admixed silk, then the [Bavarian] cockade according to prescript.
Small uniform. A garment after the same pattern as the state garment, of dark blue cloth with white silken lining, then a standing collar of crimson silk.
Embroidery as on the state garment; but only on the collar, the cuffs of blue cloth, and the pocket flaps.
Buttons, sword belt, clothes worn underneath, and hat the same as above.
Dress coat. A garment of dark blue cloth, with the same lining and a double row of embossed buttons of yellow metal.
The flat collar of crimson silk has the same embroidery as the previous uniform. — The sleeve facings and pockets are without embroidery. — The clothes worn underneath are chosen according to taste.
2. The general secretary of the Academy, bearing the status of a director [viz., in the Bavarian government], wears as:
State garment. A garment of dark blue cloth, with white silken lining, and a standing collar of crimson silk.
The entire garment is according to the preceding pattern and is embroidered with gold according to the dimensions in figure 2.
The buttons and other uniform accessories are like those of the president.
Small uniform. Like that of the president, though with the less opulent embroidery noted under figure 2 on the standing collar of crimson silk, on the sleeve facings of dark blue cloth, and the pocket flaps.
The rest of the uniform accessories are like those of the gala garment.
Dress coat. Of dark blue cloth with the same lining, and with a double row of embossed buttons of yellow metal.
The flat collar of crimson silk is embroidered according to the previous pattern. — The facings and pockets are not embroidered; — the clothes worn underneath are chosen according to taste.
The secretaries of the individual sections, and the other regular members of the Academy wear as:
Gala-uniform. A garment of dark blue cloth, with white silken lining, then a collar of crimson silk. — The pattern and cut are the same as those of the state garment.
Embroidery in gold, according to the same pattern as those above; the width stipulated in figure 3 is applied only to the collar, sleeve facings, and pocket flaps.
The buttons and clothes worn underneath are the same as with the previous classes.
The dress coat. Of dark blue cloth, with the same lining and sleeve-facings, and a double row of yellow metal buttons with the crowned lion, with the same embroidery; but only on the flat collar of crimson silk. — The clothes worn underneath are chosen according to taste.
The adjuncts and pupils, who fall into the same category as the collegial legal apprentices, wear no uniform.
4. Individuals with the rank of a collegial secretary wear as:
Uniform. A garment of dark blue cloth with white silken lining and a standing collar of crimson silk.
The cut of the frock is that of the state garment.
Collar, facings, and pocket flaps are embroidered with a golden lisiére [border] according to the width noted under figure 4.
The embossed buttons of yellow metal and the white clothes worn underneath are the same as with the previous classes. — The sword belt and the hat tassels do not have bouillons.
The dress coat of dark blue cloth with the same lining has only the flat, crimson silken collar embroidered in the previous fashion.
5. Scribes, with the rank of a collegial chancery clerk, wear as:
Uniform. A garment of dark blue cloth with the same lining. — The collar of crimson silk is bordered by a narrow, golden galloon with the dimension stipulated in figure 4.
The embossed buttons are like those in the previous classes; the clothes worn underneath are of white cloth.
The sword belt is of yellow silk, and mixed with the tassels with golden threads with the initials M. J. [Maximilian Joseph]
The institutes more closely associated with the Academy receive for their members the same uniform according to analogy of the various grades.
Hence the senior royal librarian with the rank of director wears the uniform stipulated for the general secretary under § 2; — the deputy secretaries the uniform of the regular members, § 3. — The custodians and the library secretary according to the stipulations under § 4 and the scribes according to those under § 5.
We are announcing these stipulations through the governmental newspaper, and Our president of the Academy will see to it that these prescripts will everywhere be precisely observed, whereby the purpose of the gradational distinctions be attained.
Munich, 19 June 1807
Max Joseph
Count von Montgelas
On the highest orders of the King.
von Flad. [possibly Phillip von Flad(t)]
Notes
[*] “Die Uniformirung der akademischen Mitglieder betreffend” (issued on 19 June 1807), Königlich Baierisches Regierungsblatt (1807) 32 (1 August 1807), 1226–31, with embroidery illustrations following p. 1233.
The Denkschriften der königlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu München für das Jahr 1808 (Munich 1809), xvi, summarizes the members’ uniform (oddly, no illustration of an Academy member wearing a uniform seems to be extant, not even in the Academy’s own archives):
According to the pertinent prescript issued on 19 June 1807, this uniform consists in a garment of dark blue cloth with a crimson silken collar and a rich gold embroidery of intertwined oak leaves and laurel branches; the state garment for all members consistently has this embroidery; the small uniform has it on the collar, facings, and pocket flaps; the dress coat only on the collar. The clothes worn underneath are of white cloth. See the Regierungsblatt (1807) 32, where illustrations of the embroidery can also be found. Back.
Translation © 2018 Doug Stott