Suspenders???

[HorsePen Henry]

Howdy fellers,
I am thinkin' about buying some suspenders. I have seen "Y" backed suspenders and "X" backed suspenders and elastic or leather suspenders. I am puzzled as to which ones to get. I am doin' mostly 1870-'s - 80's stuff. Which ones are correct for authenticities sake?
Thanks,
Horse Pen

[St. George]

If you try the 'Y' back - I think you'll find them both period-correct, as well as more comfortable.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Black River Smith]

If you go with the Y, determine if it has elastic.  Then determine when elastic was used in clothing or suspenders.

[Delmonico]

If you get suspenders with out elastic (elastic is PC) get the X back, it puts less strain on the buttons on the pants and the ends of the suspenders.  If they have elastic the Y back tend to be a bit more comfortable.

Elastic was one of the first products of The Goodyear Rubber Company founded in 1844.  It was there but not used as much as today since it was a lot more costly than today.  The things made of rubber can tend to be a bit amazing from back then.

I posted links to an 1877 Goodyear catalog a while back.