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Proper
Mountain Man and Longhunter Attire:
Materials, Patterns and Construction Methods
by
Todd D. Glover
When
considering the attire of the Mountain Men and Longhunter, we must think
in terms individuality, availability and styles of the time. There were
probably no two individuals who dressed alike. Those who were fresh
from the settlements would of course have items of dress which were
long since worn out among those who had spent years in the mountains.
A study of trade records however will reveal the extent to which goods
were supplied at the yearly rendezvous or brought up river to the Missouri
trading posts. Consider also the possibilities of obtaining goods at
Fort Vancouver, Taos/Santa Fe, on a trip back to St. Louis, or in later
years at Bent's Fort and Fort Hall. Being a "Mountain Man",
did not mean decades of total isolation in the mountains.
Although
much individuality existed, remember that basic patterns prevailed among
clothing and that materials were also pretty standard.
The
following is a guideline to help in you in assembling a "period"
outfit off clothing. It is not all inclusive, but a good beginning.
Patterns
Shirts-
Among the common folk of the day there was one basic pattern used for
making shirts. This was a very simple pattern using a number of rectangles.
Most characteristic of this pattern are the use of gussets under the
arms and around the neck opening. The shirt was very loose fitting except
in the collar and cuffs, and lacked much attempt at tailoring
for fit. Individual taste was reflected in fancy stitching on the cuffs,
owners initials on the front below the neck slit, or perhaps with the
addition of ruffles around the neck slit. Occasionally the front was
split open tp allow for a wrap around effect and for ease of wear. This
pattern endured until the mid 1800's especially among the rural folk.
The 1850's saw introduction of front opening closed with buttons and
this pattern didn't come into widespread use until late 1800's.
The length of the shirt reflects some indication of time period with
earlier shirts tending to be longer. Shirts were often dyed with natural
dyes t achieve a pleasing look of to mask stains from use. A
neckerchief was commonly wore by working men, cravats and neck stocks
by the upper classes. ( See
Gehret or Gilgun's books for pattern details.)
Pants-
Breeches
were popular for tradesmen and workers in town. Farmers and rural types
may wear breeches, trousers or flops. Breeches were usually made by
a tailor and constructed very well. Loose fitting in the rear and smooth
in the front. Often tied rather than buckled just below the knee for
lower or working classes.
Trousers - trousers were built like
breeches but hung loose down the leg and ended at the ankle.
Slops
- worn over breeches to protect them, very loose fitting and ended at
the knee.
Pantaloons - More form fitted than
breeches or trousers, a strap under the foot to hold them straighter.
Leggings/gaiters - Made of leather,
buckskin or heavy linen or wool to protect the leg and under garment.
The
Primary style for the pants above were the Narrow Fall, Broad Fall,
or French Fly
Vests,
Weskits- Most men wore a jacket or waistcoat while outside. When
doing physical labor the weskit may have been removed, but was promptly
put back on when work was finished or if someone came calling. It was
the manner of the day. Again length was indicative of time period, the
earlier the longer- 1750's Knee length, 1770's mid- thigh, 1800 just
below the belt.
By the 1820's there were a variety
of styles in vests rather the only a basic weskit pattern. Shoulder
seams slopped off the shoulder toward the back rather the running straight
off from the neck to the point of the shoulder. Mostly made of
wool or heavy linen.
Footwear-
Moccasins were by far the most common footwear as shown in paintings
trade ledgers and journals. However they weren't the only choice.
-Side seam, The style of the Northern plains tribes. The type you'd
likely purchase from the tribes of the region.
-Center seam, An Eastern style, either made through your own knowledge
or learned from Iroquoian tribesmen among the trappers.
-Puckertoe, Same sources as the centerseam
-Shoe pacs, a white style, probably derived from an attempt to
make moccasins more durable. Sort of a cross between moccasins and shoes.
This pattern was probably general knowledge to trappers who grew up
on the frontier.
Boots- available
in St. Louis, Taos or Santa Fe. Perhaps replaced at rendezvous or during
a visit to the settlements
Shoes, brogans
- Same as boots, more widely worn that commonly thought.
The
image of the trapper in quilled or beaded moccasins is highly suspect.
Perhaps if one married into an Indian family he may wear fancy footwear
at a rendezvous, but it certainly was not common.
Stockings -
Stockings are usually of wool(yarn), linen(thread) or silk. Either hand
knit, loom made, or cut and sewn from fabric. Held up at the knee with
woven or leather garters. Once again the use of stockings would
have been less common the longer one remained in the mountains or away
from the settlements. A soft inner moccasins could serve the same purpose.
Coats-
Coats were indeed worn by the trappers and seem to have followed
the basic frock coat or Great coat pattern, being rather long and loose
fitting, constructed similarly to the basic shirt pattern. A "match
coat" could be made by using a blanket and blanket pins (See Baker
video series vol. III).
Capotes were a popular outerwear garment but generally
lacked the fringe, hoods and tailoring so popular today.
Blankets were frequently employed
in the place of a coat.
Most common materials were heavy wools, blankets and leather.
Headgear-
The common wool felt or fur felt flop hat was the most widespread type
of headgear among the trappers of the far west. The romantic and popular
use of furs for hats, while not being non-existent, were exceedingly
rare. Avoid their use. Hand spun , hand knit woolen caps were popular
especially among the French and British trappers and voyagers. A number
of Miller paintings depict trappers wearing a type of hat apparently
made from blanket material and resembling a large hood. Straw hats were
popular among the working classes and may have found their way west.
The use of the "Panama" style palm leaf straw hats has become
way to common at modern rendezvous.
Materials
Linen-
"Flax was the principal fiber used in America from the time of
the earliest settlements. Almost every farmer grew some, and the whole
family took part in the processing." The most common fabric used.
Tow
Cloth - from short flax, a coarse plain weave used mainly for men's
cloths, sacks and wrapping cloths.
Osnaburg
- A staple cotton cloth today, was an unfinished linen. From city of
Osnabruck. Used for clothing and sacks. Some reportedly mad of wool
and cotton.
Tecklenburg
- Another tow cloth along with Virginia cloth, used for servants clothing.
Cabric
- From Cambrai, France a lightweight linen in great demand.
Linsey
Woolsey - Linen warp, wool weft. Stretch scarce wool material, warmer,
very common.
Checks-
Were popular as they didn't show dirt as much and were easy to weave.
Linen
was the fabric up until the 1820's when cotton rapidly grew in availability
and popularity and soon replaced linen as the common cloth. A transition
period of 20 years when both were common.
Wool-
"The variety of wool fabrics used in colonial America was very
great". Most early wool was imported. The colonists did produce
an inferior product. About 1830's domestic production increased along
with quality.
Shag,
duffel, baise - coarse long napped wool brought to the New World to
trade.
Flannel
- Made at home and taken to a mill for finishing.
Swanskin
- Thick white wool flannel
Fearnaught
- A heavy coating that stood against the worst winter storm
Serge
- A worsted twill (serge de nimes of cotton became denim)
Many
other names of woolen fabrics with printed patterns and woven ribs included.
Cotton-
Much less common that linen up until the 1820's. A coarse cotton
cloth was available in the colonies, both domestic weaves or imported
from England. The nice cottons came from India and were thus more expensive
and less available to the common folk.
Fustian
- Cotton/linen blend was very popular
Veleret,
Thickset - used for heavy work clothes
Calico
- originally a plain weave cotton resembling linens of the time. Came
from Calicut on the coast of India. Latter picked up it flowery nature
and patterns.
Chintz
- Made in India, a mordant and resist dyed material. The English called
it calico.
Dimity-
First from India, latter a staple home loomed cloth. Heavy, sometimes
twilled.
Nankeen
- A popular yellow cotton twill. George Washington wore nankeen breeches.
Silk
- Silk was originally a heavy cloth but became lighter as
cotton became competitive.
Bengal
- with a stripe used for womens clothing, came from India.
Sarcanet
- firm but thin for lining, came from Persia.
Mantua
- from Italy became a general term for silk fabric.
Hemp-
Hemp was widespread and grown by almost all farmers. Used by Indians
for cordage and nets. Used mainly for ropes and heavy fabrics, some
hemp was refined enough for use as clothing.
Buckskin-
Very common as cloth wore out, and as outerwear. Used by colonists early
on but quickly replaced in settled areas by fabrics. Became a sign of
the frontier and poor people. Used extensively by rivermen and trappers.
Was available for purchase in St. Louis, so many left the settlements
already dressed "Indian Tan".
Leather-
Tanning was a large industry in both the old and new worlds. All manner
of leather was available. Vegetable tan and Alum tans for clothing,
Bark and Oil tans for utilitarian uses.
Construction
Methods
Must remember that the sewing machine was not invented or widely available until the middle of the 19th century (1850). Therefore tailors and housewives did it all by hand!!
If
cotton cloth was not widely available neither was cotton thread. Use
linen or silk. Or use real deer or elk sinew. Get rid of the artificial
sinew, it will ruin all you make with it. Whatever you use it on will
never be right. Waxed linen cord is available at Tandy and linen thread
is widely available among our listed vendors.
Make
buttons of wood, or bone or horn, avoid antler. Pewter and brass buttons
were common.
Ornamentation
Debate
rages on about the use of seed beads and when they were in common use
among the Plains and Mountain tribes. Certainly the wearing of apparel
with profuse beadwork by the average trapper was extremely limited.
One doesn't wear his Sunday finest for daily work. Perhaps if a freetrapper
packed along a squaw, he may likely have some beaded ornamentation on
clothing in his wardrobe, but this would probably be saved for occasions
such as visiting the in-laws of upon arrival at rendezvous. If you feel
you would like to fancy up a shirt, moccasins, or leggings, then be
safe and use sparingly, stick to simple colors (blue, black, white
cranberry red) , and larger beads, size 8 (pound beads).
Quill
work was more common early on but the same rules apply. Again simple
colors. An Anglo generally had very little quill work, perhaps an article
or two for dress occasions. Trappers didn't wear jewelry when trapping.
Trade
beads were for trade, possibly worn at a rendezvous to advertise that
they were shopping and had money.
Bibliography
Bagnall,
William R. The Textile Industries of the United States, Vol I,
1639-1810
New York, A.M. Kelly,
1971.
Chronister,
Allen and Clay Landry Mountain Man Clothing Book of Buckskinning
VII Scurlock Publishing Co.
Gehret,
Ellen Rural Pennsylvania Clothing
Gilgun,
Beth Tidings from the Eighteenth Century.
Little,
Frances Early American Textiles New York. The Century Company,
1931.
Wilson,
Kax A History of Textiles
Craft
Manual of North American Indian Footwear.
Clothing
of the Lewis and Clark Expedition from "We Proceeded On.
Pioneering:
The Longhunter Series by Mark A. Baker American Pioneer Video.
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