Trying to put together outfit. Side note, pics added 5/1/11

Rube Burrows · April 07, 2011, 09:16:20 PM

My alias Rube Burrows was a real person and I am looking to put together an outfit that he would have worn in everyday use. I have a pic of him in his Coffin. The months leading up to him being killed was an intense manhunt and he was on the run. This gives me the best visual of what his everyday clothing would have looked like.

In a wanted poster I found from about 1889 it has his clothing listed as follows;

"When last seen word dark colored coat, gray jeans pants and reddish brown slouch hat with narrow leather band and leather binding, known as a cowboy's hat".

Anyone know where to possibly get a shirt and pants that fit that description that looks like what is in the picture?

For the hat I will prob. go with something like this slouch hat blank

http://www.fcsutler.com/pfelthat.jpg

His boots are hard to see but any idea what he might have worn in the late 1880s-1890? He was killed in October 1890.

I want this outfit to be as Historically Correct in terms of closeness with this photo as I can.

The term "jeans" used in the wanted poster would lead me to think material like jeans of today. Would the term "jeans" in 1889 be like today when most people use jeans to describe most pants or would it more than likely been jeans as we know today but in that times style?

I am not sure I will do the jacket just yet but would like to put this costume together and start actually dressing like my alias at shoots.

Thank you in advance for any help.

joec · April 07, 2011, 09:37:19 PM

I suggest you check out two sites first to buy from http://www.wwmerc.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=home which I bought mine from due mostly to price. I might add the time frame for me is about the same as yours. The other would be http://www.riverjunction.com/Suspender-Pants-Gold-Rush-Jeans--Heirloom-Brand_p_81.html if you just can't find it at Wild West Mercantile. There are a bunch more but the shirt can be found at WWM with the jeans at River Junction.

Jeans have been around in cotton canvas since the early 1800 and Levi Strauss just made them better. Just keep in mind the material came in a few colors and all had suspenders. As for the hat I have no idea but the boots look kind of like a Boulet stove pipe based on the toe I saw in you picture. Most boots had square toes but Boulet Stove pipe had a medium round toe which came out in the 1880's but not sure of the exact period. Hope that helps and keep in mind these guys often had more cloths than they was killed in.

Shotgun Franklin · April 07, 2011, 09:42:33 PM

The shirt looks easy, a dark ribbon collar. Cotton pants, I'm guessing. Something makes me say a dark brown coat, maybe a waist cat because I don't see it below his waist. I believe you could get by with any type of late 1800s boots, to me his look really worn. While I don't see braces as sloppy the fit of his outfit appears I'd bet he wore'm to hold everything together. If you want to look like you just bought that hat then near any slouch type hat will do, if you want one like this by one kinda large and take it to a car wash, hang it on the clips where you wash the floor mats and hose it down. I guess it depends on if you want to copy his death photo or like he looked a bit earlier? It looks like most of what he was wearing was a size or two to big. He lived a tuff life.

Rube Burrows · April 07, 2011, 09:45:15 PM

Quote from: joec on April 07, 2011, 09:37:19 PM
I suggest you check out two sites first to buy from http://www.wwmerc.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=home which I bought mine from due mostly to price. I might add the time frame for me is about the same as yours. The other would be http://www.riverjunction.com/Suspender-Pants-Gold-Rush-Jeans--Heirloom-Brand_p_81.html if you just can't find it at Wild West Mercantile. There are a bunch more but the shirt can be found at WWM with the jeans at River Junction.

Jeans have been around in cotton canvas since the early 1800 and Levi Strauss just made them better. Just keep in mind they material came in a few colors and all had suspenders. As for the hat I have no idea but the boots look kind of like a Boulet stove pipe based on the toe I saw in you picture. Most boots had square toes but Boulet Stove pipe had a medium round toe which came out in the 1880's but sure of the exact period. Hope that helps and keep in mind these guys often had more cloths than they was killed in.

Thanks for the links and the info. No doubt he had more clothes but this is about the best true visual that I can put together of everyday clothes. Even though he robbed trains they were still farmers/ranchers and hard workers.

Rube Burrows · April 07, 2011, 09:51:03 PM

Quote from: Shotgun Franklin on April 07, 2011, 09:42:33 PM
The shirt looks easy, a dark ribbon collar. Cotton pants, I'm guessing. Something makes me say a dark brown coat, maybe a waist cat because I don't see it below his waist. I believe you could get by with any type of late 1800s boots, to me his look really worn. While I don't see braces as sloppy the fit of his outfit appears I'd bet he wore'm to hold everything together. If you want to look like you just bought that hat then near any slouch type hat will do, if you want one like this by one kinda large and take it to a car wash, hang it on the clips where you wash the floor mats and hose it down. I guess it depends on if you want to copy his death photo or like he looked a bit earlier? It looks like most of what he was wearing was a size or two to big. He lived a tuff life.

Yeah, well he lost about 20 pounds in the last month of his life due to being heavily pursued by Pinkertons, Rail Road Agents and a bunch of other law dogs. That is prob. why his clothes look too big. He was always one step ahead until the end of course, but that lead to a hard last few months. I dont expect I will get the look exactly since this will be a weekend outfit and not one that has been to hell and back but I will try to get it close.

Shotgun Franklin · April 07, 2011, 10:01:15 PM

Just remember that one day, well before that day, he likely walked out of a store not looking to bad. It's like the guy who was trying to put together a copy of Wyatt Earp's gun, do you make it look like the rusted relic in the museum or like the gun that made the walk to the OK Corral?

Rube Burrows · April 07, 2011, 10:10:15 PM

Quote from: Shotgun Franklin on April 07, 2011, 10:01:15 PM
Just remember that one day, well before that day, he likely walked out of a store not looking to bad. It's like the guy who was trying to put together a copy of Wyatt Earp's gun, do you make it look like the rusted relic in the museum or like the gun that made the walk to the OK Corral?

Thanks for the input, I know what you mean. For this particular look, I will have new clothes.....of course I will wear them and distress them but I will be going for the on the run look. Everyone shows up at our shoots looking like brand new cowboys. I want to show some wear and bring a little more of my character out and have a little fun with it.

Major 2 · April 08, 2011, 07:52:52 AM

Don't confuse jean cloth with Denim of today (Blue Jeans )
The concept of course weave cotton (or in some cases polyester
& cotton today ) of the base color & white threads being called Jeans came later.

In the day, jean cloth was a weave of the base color & white threads and was a wool & cotton blend.

Look here http://jeanclothuniforms.com/cofederate_jean_cloth_trousers.html (no dog in this fight, posted for the photo's)

James County Mercantile, Fall Creek Sutler & Kissimmee River Depot ar good sources for Jean cloth clothing as well.

Rube Burrows · April 08, 2011, 11:30:34 AM

Quote from: Major 2 on April 08, 2011, 07:52:52 AM
Don't confuse jean cloth with Denim of today (Blue Jeans )
The concept of course weave cotton (or in some cases polyester
& cotton today ) of the base color & white threads being called Jeans came later.

In the day, jean cloth was a weave of the base color & white threads and was a wool & cotton blend.

Look here http://jeanclothuniforms.com/cofederate_jean_cloth_trousers.html (no dog in this fight, posted for the photo's)

James County Mercantile, Fall Creek Sutler & Kissimmee River Depot ar good sources for Jean cloth clothing as well.

Thanks for the clarification. I was thinking the term jeans meant they were made on a denim like today.

Curley Cole · April 08, 2011, 04:32:31 PM

Well, I suspect yer gonna have a hard time agettin to the "firing line" with that coffin strapped to yer back.....yehaaaa

(I am surprised that hasn't been said yet)

seriously, basicly the clothing would be easy to reproduce, as he wasn't the best dressed...so opportunity is wide open.

the above suggestions will hold true..

curley

Shotgun Franklin · April 08, 2011, 05:15:34 PM

Denim has been around for a couple of centuries. Archeologists dug up a guy buried during the American Revolution who had been buried in a full suit of denim. Blue Jeans are a somewhat newer use of denim. The blue dyed cloth originally was made famous by a French Town called NIM. DE meant from, or of, DE'NIM thus referred to the blue cloth from Nim, the apostrophe was later dropped.

Sir Charles deMouton-Black · April 08, 2011, 06:09:26 PM

Here are some suggestions for a guncart; (SHOOTERS MEETING, Tell me About Your Guncart, page 4)

http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,1340.75.html

There is one near the top by Relentless Renegade on may 29, 2008
And another by Haggis MacGurk on March 17, 2009 near the bottom

Delmonico · April 08, 2011, 11:27:11 PM

This is the best I could do with what there is, if you have a higher quility copy E-mail it to me.

Note, someone already got his boots.

Delmonico · April 08, 2011, 11:44:03 PM

Two more said to be him:

Rube Burrows · April 10, 2011, 11:08:36 AM

Quote from: Delmonico on April 08, 2011, 11:44:03 PM
Two more said to be him:

Thanks, I have these two pics also.

I was not sure if someone had already gotten his boots or if they were just beat to hell and back.

On another note, I have been talking about me making and actually getting to hold and take pics of his Marlin rifle that is in the Coffin with him. This would be a dream for me since I have had and looked at that pic of him in his coffin with that Marlin since I was a kid.

Of course, you know if I get to do that pics will be shared.

St. George · April 10, 2011, 11:59:14 AM

One thing to ponder...

It's highly likely that the rifle and revolvers were props - added for effect, to show what a 'bad man' he was.

Pretty much guaranteed that those guns didn't go into the ground with the body.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

Shotgun Franklin · April 10, 2011, 04:56:30 PM

There's good chance the guns were his but just as likely not. I'll admit that if I had been there and could pick up a gun, especially one work a week's pay, I'd have taken whatever I could get. It was very common practice for posse members or Law Officers to pick through the bad guy's stuff, why not? Now days the guns would set and rust in a Police Dept evidence locker or be cut up to appease the Local Politicians.
BTW, now that I can see the photo better I'm convinced that the deceased was in his socks for this photo. Hopefully some posse member that needed boots got this pair.

Major 2 · April 10, 2011, 05:02:19 PM

A good pair of boots could cost more than a revolver... I'm quite sure the guns are a Photographic prop ( maybe his ) but they did not go with him in the ground ...
He may have died with his boots on he sure was not buried with them.

Rube Burrows · April 10, 2011, 11:31:24 PM

Quote from: St. George on April 10, 2011, 11:59:14 AM
One thing to ponder...

It's highly likely that the rifle and revolvers were props - added for effect, to show what a 'bad man' he was.

Pretty much guaranteed that those guns didn't go into the ground with the body.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

Actually the guns were in fact his. He loved that Marlin so much that he got killed over it.

Ya see, when captured one of the deputies took his Marlin and his money and left the jail with it. When Rube escaped he took a cover guy and went down there and demanded the guy give back his Marlin and his money or he was going to "shoot your head off"

There was a gunfight and Rube was dead. The rifle is in the Alabama Archives and the pistols are in the hands of family members. There is also the bullets that were in his pistols on display in the Alabama Archives. I have been talking to the Alabama Archives because I am wanting to do a replica build of his Marlin. They are going to let me take pics of it and really inspect it over.

Rube Burrows · April 10, 2011, 11:33:57 PM

Quote from: Major 2 on April 10, 2011, 05:02:19 PM
A good pair of boots could cost more than a revolver... I'm quite sure the guns are a Photographic prop ( maybe his ) but they did not go with him in the ground ...
He may have died with his boots on he sure was not buried with them.

His brother was a coffin maker and that coffin was no good in their opinion. His brother made him the finest coffin and they placed him in it.