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Research library
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These are original photos from my personal collection and I have put alot of time and effort into documenting my research by original sources-so please write me and ask if you want to use any of this anywhere- I'm likely to say yes- but I would enjoy my moment in the sun!
Marna Jean
Gentlemen's VestsCommon characteristics of all vests of this period are shoulder seams that are lower at the shoulder than the neck, and full collars- not just ending at the shoulder seam like most modern vests. Day vests were, as a rule, cut straight across the bottom(in the later periods they had a slight taper or rounding of the bottom corners).
Fancy Vest in the late 1800's
L-1860's era Vest
R- Early 1870's Vest wide lapels and a double breast seems to be a favorite in this period.
Below some line drawings of different vest styles appropriate for the Old West period.
Shawl collar, no collar, notched collar.
Also seen in this period were a high round collar and a stand up collar.
Be they gunfighter or gambler, almost every fella I know wants a brocade or silk vest to complete his best outfit. But what years were they appropriate? In England most gentlemen had given up wearing fancy colored brocade vests by the late 1850's (except for the formal black or white for evening), but in America we have a tendency to be a little more bold. I recently acquired a photo from the 1860's. (see above) The lady in the photo was wearing a hoop skirt and the gentleman was wearing a light colored frock with a velvet collar, and a brocade vest in a medium color, it also looked like it had been outgrown -it stretched tightly across his waist. The Butterick’s catalog of Summer 1873 shows a pattern for a Boy’s Single-breasted, High Rolling Collar Vest that seems to be very similar. The notched fronts on vests were not a common style, The photo in American Victorian Fashions shows a brocade vest, cut straight across the bottom, while in my photo it is hard to tell if it may or may not be notched because of the ill fit. I had seen references that gentlemen in the U.S. wore fancy vests until after the Civil War but had found no exact cut off time for the wearing of them. Finally, while reading through an 1875 Ward's catalog I found some proof that they were still popular. It listed fancy silk vests in purple, silver, green, black, polka dot and check. The style for these vests would probably be a full shawl collar that was either self fabric (as shown in my photo) or velvet, single or double breasted.
L- Two cowboys circa 1880 this one was a tintypeTwo cowboys circa 1880 this one was a tintype R-Not sure of the date on this one probably 1880s' it was the first photo I found where the man was only
wearing a vest and no coat.
Copyright 1999 by Shooting Star Enterprises
