Any documentation on the use of the caped hunting frock out west 1800-1840? I'm thinking of making one out of buckskin like the one on the back of Book of Buckskinning vol 1. Anyone try this yet? Any pointers?
This message has been edited. Last edited by: spitfire1,
If a trapper came through St Louis on his way to the mountains, his dress would have a French influence. If a mountaineer came the snow free route through Taos or used Taos as a home in winter, his dress might be decidedly Spanish in influence. Short waist coat, vest, pantellones, flat wide brim hat, mocassins. When I rendezvous'd in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, I saw a lot of Spanish style dress. Leather frock coats are popular as well as full length leather dusters.
Posts: 527 | Location: In The Shadow Of Mt. St. Helens, Yakima | Registered: 31 October 2007
My persona is...one of the nine young men from Kentucky that went west with Lewis and Clark as a hunter, after returning home from the expidition I decided to go back out west to make my fortune on long hunting and trapping excursions out west, for me the year is eternally 1808. My gear is a mix of east and west, taking the best of what I know and have from my eastern longhunter roots and picking up a few things here and there in the new untamed west. Therefore i've decided to go with the caped hunting frock, in buckskin, possibly center seam buckskin leggings over leather knee breeches and side seam mocs (from trading) and some shoe pack mocs. What say you?
P.S., I have seen a photo of a caped hunting shirt owned by Buffalo Bill early in his career--which is even later than the period you want, in short, the caped hunting shirt lasted a long time. It was still prominent in the early 1800s--even fashionable, and lasted until after the Civil War on the frontier.
I realize that the caped hunting frock (or shirt) was correct, but what about the making it from leather? You usually see them from some type of cloth. Can you give me a source to look this up. I do occasionally work with leather and would love to try my hand at this. Toni
There are plenty of references to leather hunting shirts, but, alas, few descriptions or surviving examples. I would assume that an early leather shirt would look much like the cloth ones. Some backwoodsmen in a pinch made them crudley laced with leather wangs [thongs], but the better ones were sewn with heavy linen I suspect. Not being a tailor I can only imagine that using leather would lead to some slight modification of the details of a pattern--such as no 'bunching' or pleating around the shoulder seams, etc...
Thank you. I also found in "The Frontiersman" a leather coat (rather fancy - embroidered) that is believed to have belonged to Washington's dentist. I wasn't not sure if that it is good documentation. You are right that making it from leather does require additional planning to the drafting of the pattern. It will give me something to do in my spare time. Toni
time.
