Man's Uniform
Clothing MakerMade by
Unknown
Date1895-1905
MediumJacket: Machine-stitched, khaki-colored plain-woven ("tabby") cotton, with (probably) cotton felt, and brass buttons.
Pants: Machine-stitched, khaki-colored plain-woven cotton, with cotton felt and a twisted (hemp?) cord.
Belt: Machine-stitched, khaki-colored plain-woven cotton, with a nickel plated metal clasp.
Gaiters: Machine-stitched, khaki-colored plain-woven cotton, with stamped brass buttons and a japanned brass buckle.
DimensionsComponent (jacket .a: center back length x breast circumference): 27 x 40in. (68.6 x 101.6cm)
Other (jacket .a: sleeve length): 24in. (61cm)
Component (pants .b: waist circumference x outseam length): 43 x 40in. (109.2 x 101.6cm)
Component (gaiters .d and .e: length x top width): 13 x 15 1/2in. (33 x 39.4cm)
Other (gaiters .d and .e: bottom width): 14 1/4in. (36.2cm)
ClassificationsCostume
Credit LineConnecticut Museum of Culture and History collection
Object number1985.179.1a-e
DescriptionMan's tropical weight uniform, probably from the Spanish American War, made of khaki-colored cotton. The uniform consists of a jacket, pants, belt, and left and right gaiters. It was worn by a member of the irregular forces: indiginous people, such as native scouts, affiliated with the United States Army.
Jacket: Single-breasted, khaki-colored coarse cotton jacket with a four-button closure. The jacket is entirely machine-stitched, and the shell is unlined. The jacket fastens down the front with four brass general service buttons with no back marks. The buttons fasten through the proper right front facing with metal rings to hold them. The buttonholes are machine-stitched. The jacket features pinkish-red (cotton?) felt collars, pointed cuffs, and epaulets. Small brass buttons hold up the shoulder straps. The shape of shoulder strap, being rounded rather than pointed, and only coming part way up the shoulder, suggests the jacket was worn with a bandolier or cross belts. Shoulder straps were only used to hold up the narrow military belting which came in during the late nineteenth or early twentieth century.
The sleeves are two-piece, cut in the late-nineteenth-century or early-twentieth-century style, with a distinctly larger upper sleeve than lower sleeve. Typical tailoring up into the last quarter of the nineteenth century produced equally sized upper and lower arms. The sleeves on this jacket suggest late-nineteenth-century or early-twentieth-century construction, and the fact that it is all machine-stitched also supports this dating. Because of the dating supported by the shoulder straps, machine stitching, and sleeve construction, this uniform is likely from the Spanish American War.
Pants (.b): Pair of khaki colored cotton pants made of coarse, plain-woven cotton. The pants are entirely machine-stitched. They have a fly front, with no button closure and no waistband. The top of the pants was finished by rolling over the top of the trouser legs and hemming it to form a casing, through which a twisted (hemp?) cord drawstring was run. Each leg panel is a single piece, whereas earlier examples had two-piece, front and back construction. A two-piece leg was the predominant style for the military and continued to be well into the twentieth century. The cut of the legs is full and loose. The pants have a shallow rise, indicating a construction date in the early twentieth century; nineteenth-century pants have a longer rise, to accomodate being worn with suspenders. The pants have a one-inch-wide pinkish/red cotton felt side stripe running up the outside of each leg. Red trouser striping suggests United States Army Artillery, but this is not an Army uniform. Rather, it was the uniform of "irregular forces", such as native scouts---indiginous people affiliated with the United States Army.
Belt (.c): Machine-stitched of the same coarse, cotton khaki as the jacket and pants. The belt fastens on its ends with a nickel plated metal clasp, with scroll motifs stamped into the face suggesting an 1880s style. There are no other marks on either side. Each piece of the clasp attaches to the far ends of the belt by way of a spring bar with a toothed edge, which engages the belt and holds it against the face plate of the clasp with pressure. The "male" half of the clasp has progs that attach through the slotted holes on the "female" half. The clasp is considerably wider than the belt itself; the belt is 1 1/2 inches wide, and the clasp is 2 1/2 inches wide. The clasp looks like the sort used as a decorative belt on women's dresses in late nineteenth century.
The belt was probably worn as a waistbelt over the jacket of the uniform. There are signs of gathering, just above lower most button, running all around the jacket at about the natural waistline. This suggests that the belt was worn over the waist of the jacket to draw the jacket in and hold it closed. The belt would also hold down any belting worn over the shoulder that way.
The proper left gaiter (.d) is machine-stitched of same coarse, cotton khaki as the jacket, pants, and belt. It fastens with four stamped-brass buttons that are riveted to the back side of each closure. Gaiters would close by fastening up the outside of the leg. Made of a left rear quarter panel, left front quarter panel, and a right panel extending from center front ot center back. The front seam as it approaches base of the gaiter creates a flare to allow the gaiter to fit over the top of shoes or boots. Attached to inside center of the right leg panel at the hem is a 7/8-inch-wide self-fabric strap that would extend under the boot or shoe. It attaches with a japanned brass, two-piece vest buckle.
The proper right gaiter (.e) is made of the same material and mode of construction as the left gaiter, but it is the mirror opposite, to fit the other leg.
Jacket: Single-breasted, khaki-colored coarse cotton jacket with a four-button closure. The jacket is entirely machine-stitched, and the shell is unlined. The jacket fastens down the front with four brass general service buttons with no back marks. The buttons fasten through the proper right front facing with metal rings to hold them. The buttonholes are machine-stitched. The jacket features pinkish-red (cotton?) felt collars, pointed cuffs, and epaulets. Small brass buttons hold up the shoulder straps. The shape of shoulder strap, being rounded rather than pointed, and only coming part way up the shoulder, suggests the jacket was worn with a bandolier or cross belts. Shoulder straps were only used to hold up the narrow military belting which came in during the late nineteenth or early twentieth century.
The sleeves are two-piece, cut in the late-nineteenth-century or early-twentieth-century style, with a distinctly larger upper sleeve than lower sleeve. Typical tailoring up into the last quarter of the nineteenth century produced equally sized upper and lower arms. The sleeves on this jacket suggest late-nineteenth-century or early-twentieth-century construction, and the fact that it is all machine-stitched also supports this dating. Because of the dating supported by the shoulder straps, machine stitching, and sleeve construction, this uniform is likely from the Spanish American War.
Pants (.b): Pair of khaki colored cotton pants made of coarse, plain-woven cotton. The pants are entirely machine-stitched. They have a fly front, with no button closure and no waistband. The top of the pants was finished by rolling over the top of the trouser legs and hemming it to form a casing, through which a twisted (hemp?) cord drawstring was run. Each leg panel is a single piece, whereas earlier examples had two-piece, front and back construction. A two-piece leg was the predominant style for the military and continued to be well into the twentieth century. The cut of the legs is full and loose. The pants have a shallow rise, indicating a construction date in the early twentieth century; nineteenth-century pants have a longer rise, to accomodate being worn with suspenders. The pants have a one-inch-wide pinkish/red cotton felt side stripe running up the outside of each leg. Red trouser striping suggests United States Army Artillery, but this is not an Army uniform. Rather, it was the uniform of "irregular forces", such as native scouts---indiginous people affiliated with the United States Army.
Belt (.c): Machine-stitched of the same coarse, cotton khaki as the jacket and pants. The belt fastens on its ends with a nickel plated metal clasp, with scroll motifs stamped into the face suggesting an 1880s style. There are no other marks on either side. Each piece of the clasp attaches to the far ends of the belt by way of a spring bar with a toothed edge, which engages the belt and holds it against the face plate of the clasp with pressure. The "male" half of the clasp has progs that attach through the slotted holes on the "female" half. The clasp is considerably wider than the belt itself; the belt is 1 1/2 inches wide, and the clasp is 2 1/2 inches wide. The clasp looks like the sort used as a decorative belt on women's dresses in late nineteenth century.
The belt was probably worn as a waistbelt over the jacket of the uniform. There are signs of gathering, just above lower most button, running all around the jacket at about the natural waistline. This suggests that the belt was worn over the waist of the jacket to draw the jacket in and hold it closed. The belt would also hold down any belting worn over the shoulder that way.
The proper left gaiter (.d) is machine-stitched of same coarse, cotton khaki as the jacket, pants, and belt. It fastens with four stamped-brass buttons that are riveted to the back side of each closure. Gaiters would close by fastening up the outside of the leg. Made of a left rear quarter panel, left front quarter panel, and a right panel extending from center front ot center back. The front seam as it approaches base of the gaiter creates a flare to allow the gaiter to fit over the top of shoes or boots. Attached to inside center of the right leg panel at the hem is a 7/8-inch-wide self-fabric strap that would extend under the boot or shoe. It attaches with a japanned brass, two-piece vest buckle.
The proper right gaiter (.e) is made of the same material and mode of construction as the left gaiter, but it is the mirror opposite, to fit the other leg.
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