Vest question

[bear tooth billy]

Last weekend at the ruckus at raccoon forks I won a $25 gift certificate from Wild west mercantile, and have decided to
get a lighter colored vest for those hot summer shoots. My question is, if I was a working person in 1875  would notched lapels
or rounded lapels be right for that time period? Also single breasted or double?  Thanks


                                                            BTB

[River City John]

All of the above.

Choose whatever style catches your eye.
As a working person, perhaps single-breasted would seem more practical than the fanciful foolery of all those buttons on a double-breasted.


RCJ

[JohnsonBarr]

Billy look for the 'straight' cut along the bottom front edge. The vests with 'wings' along the bottom edge date to the Victorian era. 

[ChuckBurrows]

Billy look for the 'straight' cut along the bottom front edge. The vests with 'wings' along the bottom edge date to the Victorian era. 

FWIW - The Victorian Era stretched from June 1837-January 1901. The Vee notched bottoms start appearing in the late 1880's based on the best research I've seen . There was also a rounded bottom front edge style that is from the 1880's on and was perhaps most popular here in the South West.

[Books OToole]

There is a George Caleb Bingham painting, Canvasing for the Vote, painted in 1850, showing a gentleman with the aforementioned "points" on the bottom hem of his vest.

However, straight hems are more common.


Books

[Cash Creek]

Books is right again..

[Windy City Joe]

I thought painting were only interpretation of the artist, and not true to life or the times.

[Major 2]

Your statement is valid to a point 
I wouldn't think a painting would hold a candle to a photograph as credence.

However, Bingham was a contemporary and did not live beyond the Victorian era , he died in 1879 and the picture is dated.
I would think he painted what he saw, rather than a fashion visionary...
We might be inclined to accept the vest styling as least reasonable.

[ChuckBurrows]

I thought painting were only interpretation of the artist, and not true to life or the times.

A mis-conception that depends on the artist - example: Karl Bodmer is well known for his very detailed ethnographic prints of American Indians from the 1830's that are still used today by researchers and students. Bingham was a realist and painted what he saw and is also considered a valuable resource for students of history, especially those historians interested in life on the rivers during the 1850's. While Remington and Russell are not per se considered "historic" artists much of the detail is there that one can use as an historic research resource - Remington for his military images and with Russell in many pictures his people are recognizable to those who knew them.  Even today archeologists not only photograph their finds, but do detailed drawings of it as well. As always though one should not depend on a single source if possible - one should try to include not only paintings, but photos when/if available, writings of the time aka primary documents, and items still in existence when researching what was in use during a particular period, at a certain time and place, and used by who.
For instance there are the artists such as A. J. Miller who was the only artist to ever record the mountain men pre-1840 - his original trail sketches are best, and while not a perfect record of the time and place, when cross referenced with other sources thay can still be a valuable tool for the historian.


Books - forgot about that one and I should have said not commonly seen until the 1880's and later based on our current research database.

[bear tooth billy]

Thanks for the advice, I ordered a wheat colored canvas vest, notched lapels, straight bottom, single breasted.
Should be better on those hot summer days


                                                         BTB

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

There is a George Caleb Bingham painting, Canvasing for the Vote, painted in 1850, showing a gentleman with the aforementioned "points" on the bottom hem of his vest.

However, straight hems are more common.

Books

Class matters, as well. The well off were aware of fashion trends and could afford to lead the rest. Look at the ordinary fellow standing in the background. I feel certain he is still wearing a straight bottom vest.

[Ol Gabe]

B.T.B.,
Regarding the above painting, that is me in the middle sans beard. Enjoy your new vest as it'll serve you well for CAS/WAS in addition to Trout fishing having extra pockets holding lures and suchlike as well as hunting with calls and extra shells!
Best regards and good shooting!
'Ol Gabe

[Montana Slim]

Weight of the fabric likely has more to do with the "feel" on a hot day rather the material.
Mrs Slim makes all my clothes and seems like she produced 1/2 doz in the past year.
One is a HEAVY cotton & I'm waiting for February to wear it.

Silly girl, I'm running out of closet space 

Slim

[Horseapples]

If you google pictures of the scouts and guides of the army of the potomac a very clear 1863 dated photo comes up. Take a look at their vests particularly the bottom edges.

[Shotgun Franklin]

A Vest lasts me one Summer at work. I'd love to find an unlined vest as the Summers here can be rather warm, we worked in 108 one day.