Clothing reccomendations for a 19th century "blue collar" appearance -

[Eddie Mckean]

I'm going to my first event this Sunday.  For now, Duck canvas pants, a button down shirt, and Red Wing work boots will have to do.  I have no hat other than a ballcap so I'll have to go hatless.

One thing I noticed about a lot of costumes I see is that they seem to tend to depict the "white collar" types from the 19th century.  Fancy hats, expensive timepieces, silky vests, etc...  I'm more interested in the dress used by the "blue collar" men of that time. 

What kind of pants did they wear?  Surely the common man didn't wear a fancy vest, correct?  What kind of hat would the typical "working schlub" wear back then?  Were his boots polished nice and shiny with spurs or were they actually kinda crude and utilitarian?  What would a foreman working for a railroad construction crew have worn back then?

I'm just trying to get a picture of what I would have looked like if I were alive back in the 1860-70ish time frame.

[St. George]

You'll find answers to your questions on the 'Historical Society Forum' and on the NCOWS Forum' - here at CAS City.

Take a look at the different topics in the 'back pages', and you'll find that this topic's been touched on many times - with interesting references and ideas.

Figuring out what you wish to portray, and the associated time frame will allow you to focus and to save some money while you're doing so.

Any questions - send a PM.

Good Luck.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

Take a look here:

http://www.lahacal.org/gentleman/index.html

Don't be put off by the fact that it is the 'gentleman's page. Go to the 'atire' section, then click on 'informal atire'. There are a couple of good photos there. Often times, blue collar men simply wore the cast off clothing of the upper class. It would be a bit rumpled, and probably out of fashion to 19th Century eyes, but to our eyes it would not look very different. Look up the 'sack coat'. Very common with the working class. Vests were common too. Even a 19th Century working class man was considered undressed if he was seen in public with a shirt without a vest. Not neccessarily a fancy vest, maybe something plain and second hand, but most men wore a vest in public. Bowler hats were very common with the working classes too.

One thing I can positively tell you about railroad workers clothing in the 19th Century; don't expect to see the striped overalls and hat that we associate with railroad engineers today. Definitely 20th Century. I've been a train enthusiast all my life. I have lots of photos of train crews from the 19th Century. The striped stuff does not show up until the 1900s. Most RR men wore heavy work clothes. Heavy boots, heavy trousers often with suspenders, simple shirt, either collared or not depending on the date. Most wore a pretty shapeless slouch hat. Newsboy type caps were pretty common too. The conductor often wore a pretty typical suit with jacket, vest, trousers and tie. The foreman of a construction crew would have dressed just slightly better than his crew, perhaps a jacket, perhaps a jacket with vest. In truth, there was nothing particularly specific about RR men's clothing to differentiate them from any other working class men in the 19th Century.

Here is a fabulous photo of a train crew member from about 1900. Notice the hat:



Here is a photo of an engine crew from 1908. It is an eastern railroad, the NYC, but dress would not have been much different in the west:



Here is the crew from a logging engine right around 1890:



Hope this is of some help.

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[Eddie Mckean]

Driftwood,

excellent pictures to get me started!

I have some denim bibs that look just like the ones worn back then.   I bought them from Sears about five years ago for work and they're definately patterened after the frontier style bibs.  I thought they had an "old school" look about them when I bought them.  I might just be able to make this work with my existing work clothes.

I'm a blue collar guy in present day so I would be a blue collar guy in the past as well.

Thanks for all your help fellas!

[Dr. Bob]

Howdy Eddie,

To get started, go to your local thrift store and find a band collar shirt in your size. Period shirts mostly were pull over type, but your bibs will cover it well.  Boots didn't have stitching on the toes.  The current "roper" lace up boots are a good style to look for.  Just take off the tab that is laced in the bottom of the opening and you are PC.  A palm leaf hat from Crazy Crow Trading Post is a reasonable priced summer hat and look for a felt cowboy hat at the thrift store and then you can steam and shape it to fit your fancy.  If you want to be PC pre-1900, you should avoid the "buscadero" or drop loop belt type of rig.  They came along in Hollywood in the 1920's.   Hamilton Dry Goods has repro 1870's jeans that are really inexpensive and pretty PC.  A canvass vest with a straight bottom is readily available to go with the jeans. 

PM for more details if you need!

[sharps54]

Dr. Bob,
Wow! I had never been to te Hamilton Dry Good site before but they have some good deals, thanks! Eddie make sure you check it out.
Mild Myles