costume question

[Cliff Fendley]

Yep, they carried pocket knives just like most of us do today. Most may have even owned in their belongings a fixed blade knife but there isn't evidence that they carried them too often. Pants belts were not worn until after the real cowboy days and honestly they seldom wore a gun belt.

Cowboys had a chuck wagon feeding them, not much use to wear a hunting or skinning knife like a hunter/trapper and the last thing a Cowboy needed is a sheath knife go through his side or leg if they took a fall from their pony.

There are plenty of old photos with sheath knives on or tucked behind a gun belt. It just doesn't reflect normal Cowboy attire.

I suppose a Cowboy riding line in the winter may have more likely had a use for a skinning knife in case he was able to get some fresh game. Even then I bet it would have been in a saddle bag.

[1961MJS]

Hi Cliff

The book I read by an actual cowboy said that they carried a pistol in their bed roll.. Usually one of them carried a rifle on the horse.  I figured the rifle for wolves, coyotes and such, but he wrote that they lassoed the wolves and drug them to death behind the horse. 

Later

[Shotgun Franklin]

The one big thing you over look is that Cowboys posed for most photos. Just like anyone else they would have tried to make them self presentable. I can recall one good photo showing Cowboys with Spurs, they were holding them.

Here's the other deal, if you don't wanna wear that stuff then shoot another category, problem solved.

[Cliff Fendley]

The one big thing you over look is that Cowboys posed for most photos. Just like anyone else they would have tried to make them self presentable. I can recall one good photo showing Cowboys with Spurs, they were holding them.

Here's the other deal, if you don't wanna wear that stuff then shoot another category, problem solved.

Nobody that I'm aware of over looked that fact. That was a point Delmonico and I were making, the photos of "real" working cowboys are not dressed that way.

No one ever said it was a problem, it's just an odd set of rules that contradict themselves, a category with the most historic shooting style, guns, and ammo, and then requiring the shooters to dress more like a wild west show.

[Delmonico]

A lot of difference between a range posed picture and a studio posed picture, clothing and gear a lot of times don't resemble each other, in fact a lot of the studio ones were even taken back east, kind of like going to a fair or carnival today and getting one of those cute sepia toned pictures. 

Also if one looks close the range ones have real scenery in them most times, the studio ones have painted back drops.  I've been studying these photos for a long time and I have a bit of an idea what is faked and what is real but posed. 

My favorite picture of an old time cowboy is this one, lace up boots and bib-overalls. 

[1961MJS]

Nobody that I'm aware of over looked that fact. That was a point Delmonico and I were making, the photos of "real" working cowboys are not dressed that way.

No one ever said it was a problem, it's just an odd set of rules that contradict themselves, a category with the most historic shooting style, guns, and ammo, and then requiring the shooters to dress more like a wild west show.

Hi

To give credit where credit is due, they're TRYING to have an authentic division.  It ain't the Originals, but ...

Later

[pony express]

But he does appear to be wearing sleeve garters. All he needs is four more items to be a "classic" cowboy!

[Delmonico]

Hi

To give credit where credit is due, they're TRYING to have an authentic division.  It ain't the Originals, but ...

Later

Nothing can truly come even close to authentic till the steel targets and timers are gone and the targets shoot back, but that don't matter only a few people ever really got in a gun fight.     The closest anyone will come to that is a good proper living history camp and don't get me started on the farbs and hard cores, both extremes are so laughable it really isn't funny.   

If someone wants to "get authentic" give up play Hollywood gunfights and go do something along the lines of Living History demos.  If you want to play "Hollywood gunfight" no problem, just follow the rules of the governing body that puts it on and have fun. 

Personally I never saw the need to get real hard core for a shoot few will come watch, it seems much more meaningful when you have a camp that is going to have several hundred visitors in a day.   

[Camille Eonich]

To be truthful a cowboy carring a side arm on his hip at work would have been rare. 

Yes but we're just playing cowboys for the sake of a shooting competition so we really need the firearms. 

[Delmonico]

Yes but we're just playing cowboys for the sake of a shooting competition so we really need the firearms. 

See you have the whole picture, also I bet you don't want it real enough that the targets shoot back.

I have a dollar that says a lot of these folks who want to be real Old West by sitting around waiting to shoot wouldn't last a day as my camp helper.

[Camille Eonich]

See you have the whole picture, also I bet you don't want it real enough that the targets shoot back.

I have a dollar that says a lot of these folks who want to be real Old West by sitting around waiting to shoot wouldn't last a day as my camp helper.

Unfortunately too many people that do shoot do just that, sit around and wait to shoot rather than helping with all the duties that must take place so that people can shoot.


And I'm sure that women NEVER put on the husband's britches back then when they went outside to help him out in the fields or whatever else that he was doing that he needed help with.  I'm also sure that since they didn't put them on that they never altered them so that the would fit better and not fall off at inopportune times.

[Delmonico]

I forgot you are oneof those pants wearin' heathen women.   Don't know about ranches and farms, I can't prove it either way, but on the overland trails there are plenty accounts of women who did.

Living history stuff, it depends on what they are doing.

[ChuteTheMall]

But he does appear to be wearing sleeve garters. All he needs is four more items to be a "classic" cowboy!

Looks like he's also wearing a scarf.
Only 3 more items needed if he chooses the Classic Cowboy costume category.

[Delmonico]

I give him style points for that very cool pair of old time, hook in the back with cinch belt bib overalls, one of my to do projects is to make me a couple pairs like that. 

As for the chaps, deduct points if you are calling them chaps as in choice instead of shaps as in shoot.   

[Camille Eonich]

I forgot you are oneof those pants wearin' heathen women.

Busted!   

[GunClick Rick]

Major 2,

I bookmarked the set and will contact them when I have the cash in the bank ... thanks for the head's up !

www.etsy.com

http://www.etsy.com/search/handmade?q=plaid%20shirt&view_type=gallery&ship_to=US&ref=auto2&explicit_scope=1