The Virtual Costumer - Silicon Web Costumers` Guild

Transcription

The Virtual Costumer
the costuming magazine of the
Silicon Web Costumers’ Guild
Militaria
The Virtual Costumer Volume 9, Issue 2
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Copyright © 2011 Silicon Web Costumers’ Guild
ISSN 2153-9022
May 2011
Table of Contents
Silicon Web Costumers' Guild
President’s Message
3
From the Editor
3
Spotlight Reviews
Dressed to Kill
5
A book on British naval uniforms also covers masculinity & fashions
Feature Articles
Military Costumes Inspired by Role Playing Games
6
A fantasy and RPG illustrator discusses military costumes
King's Man
8
Recreating Rohan armor with advice from a surprising source
Vorkosigan Militaria
16
This eldest son's costume is inspired by book jacket illustrations
Japanese War Fans
20
The Samurai were never far from a weapon with this accessory
Sullivan Ballou's Farewell
23
Documenting the costume of a civil war wife from a photo
An Able Seaman
32
A Titanic era naval seaman reports again for duty
WWII U.S. Army Officers' Uniforms
37
Learn what a well-dress U.S. Army officer wore from the skin out
Event Reports
Ladies & Gentlemen of the 1860's Conference
47
A visit to a conference on Civil War era clothing and society
Virtual Soapbox
Buttons: Small Markers of History and Fashion
50
Button collecting is a fascinating way to literally touch history
Short Subjects
Full Metal Corset
52
The History Channel highlights women Civil War soldiers
The GreenShows Fashions
52
An eco-friendly fashion show features recycled materials
Costume Drawings by David Hunter Strother
52
Drawings by a famous Civil War era artist are available on-line
Royal Military Uniforms
53
Royal pageants are a good place to study ceremonial uniforms
Parting Shot
53
A photo links two authors and their articles in this issue
Upcoming
Calendar of Events
54
Ongoing Events
55
The Virtual Costumer (ISSN 2153-9022) is a publication of the Silicon Web
Costumers’ Guild (SiW), a non-profit, volunteer-run chapter of the International
Costumers' Guild (ICG)
Copyright © 2011 Silicon Web Costumers’ Guild. This work is
licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoncommercialNo Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Images, and
material related to novels, movies, exhibits, or otherwise owned by others, remain
the property of their respective copyright holders.
* beside an author's name indicates a Silicon Web Costumers' Guild member
About the Cover
This 2005 image by J. Corey Butler, showing plastic toy soldiers of the
American Civil War, produced by A Call to Arms, Accurate, and Italieri, is from
the Wikipedia “Toy Soldier” article.The image is in the public domain.
Dr. Butler, a Professor of Psychology at Southwest Minnesota State
University, is a self-described “intermittent Wikipedian.” He has a number of
Wikipedia articles to his credit, on various topics related to his area of study. He
received the first Wikipedia Barnstar award for his contributions.
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ISSN 2153-9022
May 2011
Silicon Web Costumers' Guild
Silicon Web Staff
President:
Richard Man
Vice-President:
Kevin Roche
Treasurer:
Bruce MacDermott
Secretary:
Deb Salisbury
Web Site Editor:
Kathe Gust
Virtual Costumer Editor
Philip Gust
President’s
Message
Richard Man*
As I step down as SiW
President, we can celebrate many positive
changes that have occurred in our chapter
since 2006. Several of our members have
been honored with the ICG Lifetime
Achievement Award for their contributions
to our craft, and many of our members have
won numerous awards in regional and
international costuming competitions.
However, more important than the awards is
our common interest in costuming that
defines us as members of the SiliconWeb.
We are all passionate about the craft in our
own ways, and I hope it will continue to
bring you much joy.
and our members. SiW Treasurer Bruce
MacDermott was instrumental in getting that
done. I'd like to see this kind of positive
change continue for our chapter and for the
ICG.
In that light, I am also happy to see that
our chapter magazine, The Virtual
Costumer, has a good amount of
contributions from sources outside of the
chapter. The ICG is all about "big tent" and
cooperation, and I'd like to think that ours is
a model chapter in that sense.
My only regret in leading this
organization is that we have not achieved a
critical mass of members who get involved
in serving the chapter: we "lost" a few
prospective candidates because they are
members of executive staff of the ICG and
we have people that are already overcommitted and cannot contribute in that
capacity. Nevertheless, I hope that some of
you will rise to the challenge and participate
in the next election. We have good people in
our group. Let's see if we can engage each
other more.
And that is all I have to say. So long,
and thanks for all the fish!
From the Editor
Philip Gust*
Before moving on the
issue at hand, I'd like to
thank Richard Man for serving as President
of SiW, and wish him well in whatever he
takes on next.
What some of you may not realize is
that Richard has been president twice. He
first took office in June 2006, succeeding
our first president, Dana MacDermott, and
served until June 2008 when Aurora Celeste
became president. At the end of Aurora's
term in June 2009, Richard once again
agreed to serve, and has remained president
until now.
In Richard's very first “President's
Message” (see VC volume 4 issue 3), he
talked about SiW being a place where
talented costumers gather, not because they
have no local chapter, but because they find
value in joining. During Richard's terms,
SiW has gone from 40 members in 15 states
to 67 members in 21 states. He also talked
about members becoming involved in the
chapter as volunteers. His final message to
us in this issue is the same.
I've enjoyed working with Richard, and
have looked forward to being the first one to
read his column in each issue. Thanks,
Richard, and good luck!
A recent major accomplishment for the
ICG is the filing of the 501 (c)(3) umbrella
non-profit status for participating chapters
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ISSN 2153-9022
May 2011
Military uniforms have always held a
special fascination for costumers. Whether
the uniform is historical, or one from sci-fi
or fantasy, costumers continue to study and
recreate them. This issue is devoted to the
theme of militaria and military themed
uniforms.
There are so many countries and times,
and so many genre of fiction, that no single
issue can cover every aspect of the topic.
However, this issue does provide a
fascinating glimpse into a variety of military
themed costumes and accessories that are of
special interest to our authors.
Christofer Bertani offers a glimpse into
British naval uniforms in the golden age
between 1747 and 1857 in his review of a
book on the subject, which also discusses
masculinity and contemporary fashions.
He returns later in the issue to tell us
how he recreated the military uniform of one
of his favorite fantasy characters, Miles
Vorkosigan, using only book jacket
illustrations and the sparsest of descriptions
provided by the author.
Next, well-known fantasy and game
illustrator Larry Dixon continues his
discussion on how the artist interprets
literature by encouraging us to consider
using illustrations from Role Playing Games
(RPGs) like Dungeons and Dragons as a
source of inspiration for many unusual
military style costumes.
Kathe Gust provides a detailed
narrative on how she recreated the Rohan
armor of King Theoden's lieutenant,
Gamling from the Lord of the Rings movies,
which she wore in the Costume-Con 26 scifi/fantasy masquerade. She also reveals how
she received some expert advice from a
surprising source.
I introduce a bit of Japanese militaria
that I did not realize even existed until I
attended the opening of the Hand Fan
Museum recently, and learned from a fan
collector there that the most secret weapon
of a Samurai was his war fan.
Lisa Ashton provides a look at the
clothing worn by Sarah Ballou, whose
husband Sullivan's moving letter was
immortalized in Ken Burns' documentary
“The Civil War.” Lisa shares her extensive
historical research and the reproduction of
an outfit that Sara Ballou might have worn,
which she exhibited in the Costume-Con 29
historical masquerade.
Lisa also offers an event report on a
conference of 1860s Civil War era
costumers that she attended recently near
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Her first-person
account will whet the appetite of Civil War
era costuming enthusiasts to attend next
year's event.
With a fascinating look back at what an
able seaman wore in 1912, at the time of the
Titanic, Kevin Roche describes the historic
photo he discovered, and the subsequent
research he did to create the period accurate
reproduction that he exhibited in the
Costume-Con 28 historical masquerade.
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Byron Connell's article on what WWII
US Army officers wore, from the skin out,
provides a wealth of information and vintage
photos that will enable historical costumers
to create an authentic look, whether buying
vintage pieces or creating reproductions
form scratch.
Finally, historic button expert Sadie
Jackman explains why costumers should
take an interest in collecting vintage buttons,
and why holding one is like holding a bit of
history in the palm of your hand.
Here is a quick preview of what is
upcoming in VC. The August 2011 issue
will have the theme “East Meets West,”
about Eastern influences on Western
clothing, and how Western styles influenced
Eastern clothing. The November 2011 issue
will have the theme “Heroes and Villains.”
As “clothes make the man,” they certainly
also define the heros and villains of history,
literature, and our own imaginations.
I'm pleased to announce that the
February 2012 issue of VC will have the
theme “Americana,” covering elements of
costuming, accessories, and related culture
that are quintessentially American, from
native Americans, to iconic historical
costumes, to classic and contemporary
American clothing styles that will influence
costumers in the years to come.
See the Upcoming Issues page of the
SiW web site for details. Now is a great time
to start writing for VC, and share what you
know and love with your fellow costumers.
May 2011
Spotlight Review
Dressed to Kill
Christofer Bertani*
“Dressed to Kill:
British Naval Uniform,
Masculinity and
Contemporary Fashions 1748-1857” by
Amy Miller. National Maritime Museum.
ISBN: 978-0948065743.
In Dressed to Kill, Amy Miller, Curator
of Decorative
Arts and
Material Culture
at the National
Maritime
Museum,
discusses the
parallel
evolution of
men's clothing
and the changing
morality that
turned the Georgians into Victorians. Since
this review is for a costuming publication,
I'll write about the parts that apply to
costuming.
Roughly half the book is given over to
gorgeous color photographs of naval
uniforms in the National Maritime
Museum's collection. Most garments are
shown front and back, and usually include a
close-up of some detail, too. The garments
Dress waistcoat, captain with
over three years seniority (1748)
include both
dress and
undress coats,
waistcoats,
breeches, and
even a couple
of cloaks and a
pair of
stockings.
Several
epaulettes are
shown closeup, including
pictures of the
undersides
showing the fastenings.
The "patterns" discussed in the
Amazon.com
description of
this book are
actually line
drawings of a
number of the
garments
lying flat,
which are
useful for seeing the true shapes of lapels, or
some of the seam lines of the interior of the
tails.
Along with the text are also a number
of pictures of portraits and prints, good
source material showing contemporary
views of naval officers. I did notice a few
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ISSN 2153-9022
Detail: Things as they were. 1783 and Things as they
are. 1823. Charles Joseph Hullmandel (artist) This
detail Illustrates the effeminised dandy midshipman.
minor errors in the picture captions, usually
where the rank of the uniform was wrong,
but I would still highly recommend this
book to anyone interested in naval uniforms,
and particularly to costumers wanting to
recreate one. The inside views of coat tails,
and the disassembled sketch of Nelson's
breeches have already answered a number of
questions I was wondering about.
Christofer Bertani is interested in
historical costume re-creation centered
around the English Regency/Napoleonic
era, particularly uniforms, with a sideline in
SF costuming from written sources. An
earlier version of this review appeared on
the Regency Society of America community
board. His article, “Vorkosigan Militaria,”
also appears in this issue.
May 2011
Feature
Military
Costumes
Inspired by
Role Playing
Games
Larry Dixon
In an earlier article, a well-known
artist described his work as a fantasy
illustrator. Now he discusses military
themed costumes inspired by illustrations
for role-playing games (RPGs)
I've been working on RPG illustrations
for a number of years, and I really enjoy the
challenge of coming up with costumes for
characters that fit in to all these worlds.
Since many of these games are quests of one
kind or another, it's not surprising that many
of the illustrations I do include characters in
armor and military themed costumes. The
range and number of costumes I've done
seems pretty incredible to me when I look
back on them.
To give you just a taste of what RPG
costumes are like, I'll talk about two
illustrations I did for one called “Dungeons
and Dragons” or D&D as most people refer
to it. D&D is a fantasy RPG originally
published in 1974 that was designed by
Gary Gygax and Dave Anderson. It's the
grand-daddy of all RPGs,
and the franchise has just
kept going ever since.
Each player takes on a
specific character, and the
characters embark on
imaginary adventures
within a fantasy setting. A
Dungeon Master serves as
the game's referee and
storyteller, while
maintaining the setting in
which the adventures occur.
A hallmark of D&D is
the rule books and
magazines. Things started
Detail of the armored characters from "The 4 Paladins".
out with just a simple rule
illustrations of characters and story settings.
book, but a whole range of publications has
The two illustrations I'll talk about come
grown up around the game. Full-length
from these.
articles often appear now, with detailed
The first illustration is called “The 4
Paladins.” It's a digital painting that I did for
an article in D&D v. 3.5, featuring four new
prestige classes. I really had a good time
with the detail work in this one.
“The 4 Paladins” digital image created for D&D v. 3.5.
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Copyright © 2010 Silicon Web Costumers' Guild
ISSN 2153-9022
When I thought about the types of
costumes for this story, I wanted to have a
different style for each species that appears
in the illustration. I also didn't want it to
look like it was lifted directly from a
Medieval museum, or from Lord of the
Rings for that matter, so I mixed it up a lot.
May 2010
One of the characters, for example, had
more heavy plate, but with a lacquer finish
that you'd never find on the real thing.
Another had lots and lots of overlapping
plates. I tried to think about the characters as
real people in a real world, and kept it to
where you could see their stuff in a fight,
rather than being dress armor. It's very
articulated.
going to be sucked up into the next drek pit
you're dropped into by your Game Master?
So that's it, two very different visions
of characters that appear in RPGs. The first
is a more traditional band of armored
fighters, while the other is a lone warrior
who travels light and fends for himself. I've
enjoyed sharing two of my favorite RPG
illustrations with you.
There's an interesting story about this
one. Dragon magazine paid me for a twopage, center spread feature they were going
to do, and then they never used it. A game
designer friend of mine back then even
offered to write them an article to match it.
Then the magazine went away. As far as I
know, they still have the rights to use it. I'm
happy to have the chance to share it now.
The second illustration is a very
different kind of warrior
that I did for the D&D
Epic Level Handbook, of
the character Soveliss the
Ranger at 20+ level. It
always feels like a
privilege to paint one of
the D&D Archetype
characters.
This is one of maybe four depictions of
a happy character in the entire core rule
book set. Everybody else is intense and
dark, and Soveliss is like, “Hi, I have a
bow!”
Since this is an Epic Level, I figured
that by this point, the only thing someone is
going to care about is their magic items.
Now, let me encourage you to explore
the amazing world of RPGs. Even if you
aren't into playing games like D&D, you just
might get your next costume idea from the
wide range of military style costume
illustrations, from a whole new generation
of talented young artists, that appear in
today's RPG rule books and magazines.
Soveliss the Ranger from the D&D Epic Level Handbook.
They will be getting into so much on a daily
basis, that nothing they have will last. That's
why I went with something incredibly
simple, the D&D equivalent of blue jeans
and a t-shirt. When you have ioun stones,
and rings of protection, and boots of flying,
why bother with anything fancy that's just
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Larry Dixon has been an uncredited
co-plotter or co-writer for many popular
properties, bringing jovial and energetic
approaches to collaborations. His covercredited novels include the ever-popular
Gryphon series, the Winds, Storms,
SERRAted Edge, and Owl books with the
mighty Mercedes (Misty) Lackey. Born to
Run has been hailed as a "romp with a
conscience," and The Black Gryphon has
been critically referred to as "A modern
classic," and is in its nineteenth printing.
Larry is a sports car enthusiast, a storm
spotter and a volunteer firefighter He can
often be found rushing to the scene of any
disaster where people need help. He
married fantasy author Mercedes Lackey in
1992.
May 2011
Feature
King's Man
Kathe Gust*
A Passion for “The
Lord of the Rings” and a
chance meeting with Bruce Hopkins lead to
the re-creation of a famous Rohan warrior.
I suppose it was only natural for a guy who
revels in the nickname “Phil-o-den” to lust
after Theoden's battle armor. It was also
natural for me to tell him that the King of
Rohan really should have a sidekick instead
of a niece. I bought a mustache and beard.
Re-creating two sets of Rohirric armor
from Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings: The
Two Towers was a five-month effort, nights
and weekends included. While my husband
and I were not the first to try and replicate
some of the armor from that film, we did
choose two of the more complicated outfits.
We already had several costumes
copied from those in the films, and in
particular some court costumes from Rohan.
Bruce Hopkins as "Gamling". Photo from New Line
Cinema.
Kathe with Tolkien's grandson Royd (left) and actor
Bruce Hopkins, who portrayed “Gamling” (right)
I have been fortunate enough meet
Bruce Hopkins, who portrayed Theoden's
lieutenant “Gamling” in the films, on several
occasions. When he learned that we were
making the armor and I was going to try and
fill his shoes, he was gracious enough to tell
me some of the major themes he bears in
mind, and what emotions colored his
portrayal, when he was on the set. I guess
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ISSN 2153-9022
Kathe channels Bruce Hopkins at the One Ring
Celebration in 2006. Photo by Matt Beals.
Editors Note
Kathe Gust received the Best in Show
Workmanship award together with her husband
Philip as King Theoden in the Costume-Con 26
Sci-Fi / Fantasy Masquerade.
May 2010
his coaching must have worked. The first
time I wore the armor on stage at the One
Ring Celebration 2006 in Pasadena, several
people later told me they thought I really
was Bruce, making one of his usual
unannounced special appearances.
I don’t propose to discuss Theoden’s
armor in this article; it had some rather
complicated sections, but many of the
techniques used for Gamling are the same
for both. I also don’t plan to discuss the
creation of the cloth undergarments or
cloaks either, except to say that finding a
photo of what Gamling wore under his
armor was tough. Bruce came through again
with a photo on his web site showing
Gamling without his armor in two scenes cut
from the film.
would try to go as lightweight as possible
with ours, since we did not plan to actually
fight in it.
I knew that Weta used PVC pipe for
their chain mail, so we decided to look at
using some type of plastic for the armor
plates. We finally selected black ABS sheet
plastic for all parts of the armor that would
normally have been made of metal.
Scale Construction
comb binder punch. The scale strips are then
painted on the glossy side of the plastic with
Krylon hammered metal paint. We used
silver. Do not paint on the textured side of
the plastic, as the texturing will defeat the
hammered appearance of the paint. When
the silver dries, break your heart by
grubbing up the nice shiny scales. Dry-brush
with black and/or rust paint so they look
used.
Scale sizes were estimated by making a
paper mock-up of Theoden's mail skirt.
Gamling's scales were then estimated to be
near the same size based on counting the
scales in the costume and comparing to the
Theoden mock-up.
The basic scalloped shape of the scales
is cut in long strips from the plastic. I used a
pair of Cutco brand kitchen shears (they can
cut through a penny!). Wear gloves to pad
your hand, and don’t do them all at once.
When your hand starts to go numb, you have
been at it too long! Holes were punched
along the top edge of the strip with a GBC
Image cut from "Two Towers" showing Gamling's
undertunic. Photo from New Line Cinema.
From a discussion with Daniel
Falconer, a Weta designer who worked on
the armor, we discovered that the film armor
is rather heavy. It doesn’t weigh as much as
metal armor, but must be substantial enough
to hold up under film abuse. We thought we
When dry, the scales were bent on the
edge of the kitchen counter by hand. After
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May 2011
that, they are partially cut through and again
you must pace yourself. Too much heavy
cutting can lead to nerve irritation in your
hands.
Leave about 1/4 inch at the top that is
not cut. This was cut through after the scales
were sewn on to the base garment made of
denim. The scale strips were stitched by
hand onto the prepared base, and clipped
through wherever needed for ease of motion.
I finally wound up clipping all the scales,
but it was easier to sew them on as strips
than as single pieces.
embossed leather yoke that attaches to the
basic denim garment with 8 Chicago screws.
There are grommets in the base garment
where the screws pass through it, and there
are brass washers to reinforce both the
leather and the denim garment so the heads
will not pull through. An additional set of 4
rivets were added to the design to keep the
leather aligned to the neckline opening of
the inner denim layer. The rivets and
Chicago screws I used on both sets of armor
have a Sunstar of Rohan design and are a
discontinued pattern from Tandy leather.
Hauberk
The hauberk is a hand-sewn garment of
plastic scales over denim. It also has an
The mail coats in the film open up the
back like hospital gowns. The attached
cloaks of the royal guards hide this opening,
but that would not actually be practical for a
fighter. I elected to make my coat open only
at the neck. It has slits for and aft for riding
(and sitting). It pulls on and off like a chain
mail hauberk.
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Pauldrons, etc.
To see the actual process of figuring
out the basic construction of a pauldron I
suggest reading the tutorial at The Jedi Elf
Queen's web site. Those we made are a
slightly different shape, but her method is
how we derived them.
After testing our models in poster
board, I cut the final pattern in ABS plastic
and used gloves and clamps of various kinds
to bend the pieces into shape over the burner
of the electric stove. Gloves are a MUST.
The plastic has a very limited range of
workability. It gets soft fast and hardens fast
also, but can be re-softened more than once.
When the curves are correct, glue them in
place with ABS glue. Do not be stingy with
it. You want the bond to be strong.
All rough places are smoothed with the
grinding wheel of a Dremel tool and then the
whole is painted. Again, the painting is on
the smooth side, not the textured one. Bear
May 2011
this in mind as you bend and glue. Keep the
glossy side out. It is probably also wise to
mention here that you can make a positive
impact on the final appearance of the
pauldrons by trying to insure that the
overlapping "seams" where you glue fall as
much as possible beneath areas that will be
covered later by trim.
Final Assembly
Glue in the lining. My lining is maroon
vinyl stripped of its fiber backing and glued
to the textured side of each piece. The trim
consists of latigo leather cut outs in various
horse motifs (which are hand embossed).
Brown vinyl piping, which I made, goes
around the edge of each piece.
Everything is glued on with contact
cement. This seems to be variable in the
strength of its bond. You may want to
experiment with other adhesives. We began
to re-glue pieces of trim with E-6000 (very
toxic stuff) as they fall off, based on
recommendations from other armor builders.
Pauldron front (left) and back (right) with straps.
Gorget front (left) and back (right) with embossed Rohirric designs.
The last step is to attach the hand
embossed straps that hold the pauldrons
closed under the arms, and attach them to
the mail coat. Matching antiqued brass
sandal buckles are riveted to the armor.
Another section later gives further details
about the leatherworking.
The greaves and vambraces for the
armor followed much the same process as
the pauldrons, so I will not detail it again
here. The main difference is how the bent
shape is achieved. These pieces were tightly
wrapped around appropriately sized mailing
tubes. Then heavily wrapped with 4-6 layers
of newspaper held in place with rubber
bands. Bake in a 250 degree oven for 15
minutes and let cool. This process does not
smell much either, so while I don’t suggest
-11-
you stand around and inhale the possible
fumes, you will not make your home
uninhabitable or your oven unusable. Best
done in warm weather with the windows
open for safety.
Gorget
Gamling has a very beautiful and
elaborate gorget of silver and gold. The
pattern was worked out after hours of staring
at photos by our metal embossing specialist,
and consists of the ever-present horse head
motifs and botanical designs, with the
addition of triskelions like those on the
leather yoke.
The gorget is constructed on a base of
6 pieces of ABS plastic. The pattern was
embossed on appropriately colored
May 2011
embossing metals by hand. Embossing
metals are very thin soft metal sheets, or
heavy foils, which can have designs traced
into them with a stylus or other tools, and
will retain the shape of the designs. These
were glued to the plastic sections and the
ABS sections then glued to each other. The
edges of the various sections were trimmed
with cromed ball chain and airplane cable.
Embossed leather straps and buckles were
added to each side.
This photo shows Gamling's finished
gear, with part of the scale mail coat at the
bottom of the photo.
Leatherwork
At this point I want to devote some
space to the leather and metalworking.
Before taking on this project we had never
done metal embossing, ABS plastic
construction or leatherworking. We were
very fortunate to find kind and experienced
people who took an interest in what we were
doing and gave us excellent advice. If you
are embossing leather, you must use either
latigo or vegetable tanned leather. If you use
commercial dyed upholstery leather, the
embossing may not last. Vegetable tanned
leather accepts both dyes and special paints
if you need a specific color.
Gamling's belt was my first
assignment. The belt is
embossed vegetable
tanned leather. The
design was taken from
photos of the Rohan
royal guard belts on
display at various events.
It was embossed into
dampened leather with a
small ball-headed stylus.
The vegetable tanned
leather was sewn by
hand onto a latigo leather
base, which was also
embossed, then trimmed
and punched after the
scale mail coat had been
completed, to insure
correct placement of the fastening holes. I
needed to be sure the belt would be long
enough to go over both the mail coat and the
-12-
padded belt I wear around my waist to make
my figure more cylindrical.
The design on the belt is colored with a
brown fabric dye
pen. This is like a
felt marker. The
pen gave me much
better control of
where the color
went on the leather
than a brush would
have done. The
edges of the belt
leather were
burnished (I used a
scrap of the
leftover silk from
the shirt) and the
latigo parts of the
belt were dyed on
the edges.
The belt buckles are just regular
antique brass, but the clip that holds the two
rings together had to be constructed. This is
made from a section of brass colored door
threshold metal that has had an inlay of
embossing copper folded into it.
May 2011
The whole thing is held in place with a
rather cunning brass screw that I found in
the scrap bin in the garage. The most
difficult pieces to locate were the big rings
for the scabbard to hang from. It turned out
they are a part of horse tack (what else!)
called collar rings.
Many of the patterns appear at first
glance to be the same, but they are actually
different variations, and sizes (the Rohirric
horse head, for example). It was rare to
discover that a particular pattern could be
reused in the same size for more than one
location. Luckily all the straps are similar
and could be made in long sections.
Scabbard
Since there is no replica sword for the
Gamling character, I use a sword made for
Eowyn with that costume. It didn’t come
with a scabbard.
The majority of the leatherworking on
the project consisted of cutting, embossing,
and edge dying the many, many pieces of
leather trim on both sets of armor. We
purchased latigo leather hides for this, trying
to get them as thin and flexible as possible.
To make a scabbard the sword is placed
on a large sheet of stiff paper and traced.
The tracing is taped to the blade and any
extra additions to the scabbard are added to
make it fit the shape of the hilt.
The scabbard is sized up by adding at
least 1/4 inch
to all the
edges that
will cover the
blade, but not
to any of the
other parts of
the scabbard
blank. The
final blank is
cut from ABS
plastic.
Tape the
two sections
with fiber
reinforced
tape around
the sword and
check the fit.
It will be
tight! You
may want to
leave the very
top un-taped
at this stage
so you can get the sword back out.
Pull out the sword, add some more tape
so that all the edges are covered by at least
one layer and push a good sized dowel into
the scabbard in place of the sword. You can
hand bend the plastic by pushing against the
dowel. This will make the scabbard loose
enough to pull and replace the sword. Keep
at it until it works properly.
-13-
May 2011
snagging and being pulled off. Leave it
about 1/4 inch from the edge all around. I
wear this part of the scabbard against my
body, and the other side toward the viewer.
Cut out two pieces of covering
material. I used vinyl. One piece should be
large enough to wrap around the edges of
the scabbard and overhang the far side. The
other should be slightly smaller than the size
of the original paper pattern.
Fold up the edges of the first section
around the scabbard smoothly and glue them
into place with contact cement, smoothing
them over the edges and up onto the top
side. Let dry thoroughly and check for
attachment.
The other section of the cover is
centered on the scabbard and glued down
covering the raw edges of the first section,
but it does not extend out to the edge of the
scabbard. That would make it subject to
The final addition to the scabbard is the
chape (metal tip) and other hardware. The
Chape (above) was made of heavy embossed
brass, folded into the shape of the tip of the
scabbard and attached with contact cement.
For the other hardware, I traced the
original hardware designs on paper adjusting
them to fit the scabbard by wrapping around
the underside and extending far enough
beyond the scabbard to allow for the
insertion of metal rings for attaching the
scabbard to my belt. The design was built up
in layers of ABS. I bent the bottommost
layer by hand to fit around the scabbard and
punched the holes for the chain. I then
flattened it out again, built up the layers of
additional design, and sprayed it all with
metallic paint. When it was dry I completed
the assembly.
Helm
Gamling’s helm is standard royal guard
issue, and is built over a base made from a
used batting helmet which had the entire
Helm parts: modified and painted batting helmet, cheek plates, and various embossed metal parts.
-14-
May 2011
brim removed. The protective chain mail for
the neck was woven of aluminum rings
given to me by a friend who had some left
over from a previous project. It attaches to
the edge of the helmet through holes bored
in the back edge.
A black horsetail plume for the crest
was purchased on e-bay. They sell them for
horse shows, to braid into the horse’s regular
tail and make it look fuller. Since the batting
helmet is not as oval in height as the helm in
the film, the crest was adjusted slightly to
create a greater impression of height on the
finished helm. The crest is attached using a
bolt that goes through the top of the helmet
from the inside and screws into a molly in
the bottom of the crest.
The cheekplates and eyeguard are ABS
with an overlay of embossing metal in the
appropriate colors and design. The other
metal inlay trims are also embossing metal
attached to the painted batting helmet in the
appropriate patterns.
The finished helm with the crest in
place, together with all the other elements is
shown below at left.
Starting on any project of this
magnitude has to be a labor of love. If you
don't want it badly enough, you'll end up
hating it before you're done. In this case, it
definitely was something I wanted to do.
I had assistance from instructors at
Tandy Leather, from others who had made
Rohan armor before me, from armor web
sites. I also had encouragement from several
people who worked on the film. Their
enthusiasm went a long way toward keeping
me invested in the project when things
began to look grim. As a result I've worn the
armor at least a half a dozen times, and
continue to enjoy portraying Gamling, the
King's Man.
Test fitting parts to the modified and painted helmet.
Bag of chain mail links to right of helm.
The crest, above at right, was created
by making a sandwich from laminated balsa
with ABS layers on the outside. It was then
covered in embossed brass, and painted in
the recessed areas.
Kathe Gust enjoys creating clothing
for many historical periods, and for various
sci-fi and fantasy genre. Visit her web site to
read articles and see photos for some of her
costuming projects.
-15-
May 2011
Feature
to the rest of humanity. The original
colonists were of Russian, Greek, French,
and British extraction. Each of the noble
houses, the Counts, has a distinctive livery
in a particular set of colors.
Vorkosigan
Militaria
Christofer Bertani*
A historical costumer
with an interest in sci-fi literature tackles
the uniform of a book character by an
author who is notorious for her lack of
costume descriptions.
Sometime in 2001 or early 2002, I
decided I wanted to make a suit of
Vorkosigan House livery. I'd previously
done a Barrayaran uniform: the undress
greens that Miles wore during his military
career, and a less successful attempt at a
Miles-esque grey civilian suit appropriate
for Miles to wear in his later career as
Imperial Auditor, so I was clearly going to
need to make Miles' house livery: the suit
for the eldest son of the Count Vorkosigan.
Science-Fiction author Lois McMaster
Bujold has been the bane of costumers. She
writes fantastic books set in amazing worlds,
but until recently, was very vague about
what the people in her books wore.
I have for a long time been an avid fan
of her Miles Vorkosigan books. Besides
being excellent stories, her protagonist is
short, and as I'm only 5'4", a character close
to my size, let alone a hero, is rare. Miles
Vorkosigan is the eldest son of a nobleman
of the planet Barrayar, a planet that until a
couple of generations ago had been isolated
for centuries, and had during that time
regressed into "barbarism", at least relative
While the Vorkosigan house livery is
mentioned many times in the books, the
actual description in the text can be reduced
to this: the uniform is brown and silver; it is
the same uniform for family and retainers,
differing only in the quantity of decoration;
the collar and sleeves bear the Vorkosigan
badge; it is worn with brown riding boots.
Since the heir's house livery is one of
several uniforms on a spectrum from the
count to the lowliest retainer, I needed to
figure out (roughly) what the other uniforms
would look like. Miles, as the heir, wears the
penultimately decorated uniform; only the
Count's would be fancier. Also, there would
probably be another uniform for younger
Editors Note
Illustrator Larry Dixon discussed working
with Lois McMaster Bujold, and how he got her
to describe Miles Vorkosigan, in the February
2011 issue (“Costuming by the Book: The
Fantasy Writers' Perspective”, VC Vol 9 Issue 1,
see page 45)
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ISSN 2153-9022
May 2010
sons, and of course, for several grades of
retainer.
To design the uniform, I turned to
history, because the Vor were traditionally
cavalrymen with a very old-world feel (In
my mind Vorbarr Sultana, the capital city,
looks like something out of the AustroHungarian Empire of a century ago) and
also because hussar regiments had egregious
braiding raised to a high art form.
After perusing pictures of World War I
German uniforms (particularly
kaisersbunker.com and derrittmeister.com;
both include detailed close-ups, often of the
lining and such details) as well as books
such as the British Army Dress Regulations
of the Army, 1900.
I decided on a tunic with a high collar,
that closed up the front with hooks and eyes
(so I could run braid down the front, like a
WWI German koller tunic, worn by a branch
of the cavalry), and riding breeches of a sort
of rounded Cossack shape, rather than the
more angular German breeches to give it a
more Russian appearance. The hook-andeye closure also let me dispense with
buttons, something I wanted to do to give
the uniform a little bit more of a sciencefiction feel.
The suit is made of suit-weight wool,
lightly interfaced with hair cloth, and lined
in silk of a matching brown shade. Flat, halfinch wide silver braid was used for the main
parts of the braiding, which was itself
decorated with quarter-inch soutache cord
(russia braid).
Front of coat.
The epaulettes and aiguillette are
formerly of the East German Volksarmee,
which went out of business in 1991 and sold
off their entire supply at very low prices.
Unfortunately, as the supply has dried up, it
has become harder to find things like this,
and the prices have also gone up. It would
have been a lot more expensive to make this
costume today than it was ten years ago. The
epaulettes were originally for a major of the
transport services. They were carefully taken
apart and the blue felt backing replaced by
the same brown wool as I used for the suit.
The breeches button at the cuffs to fit in the boots. The rounded Cossack-style shape is clearly seen.
-17-
The uniform heavily features the
Vorkosigan badge, and I wanted to integrate
May 2011
the badge (three mountains, a maple leaf)
into the uniform, rather than have it
represented by patches sewn on at the last
step, as they would be had I embroidered
separate badges. The back of the jacket
features the Vorkosigan maple leaf motif in a
very hussar-style decoration, with the curved
braiding following the seams on the back.
the original chalk didn't survive the handling
of the fabric while the braid was being
sewed down.
The maple leaves on the back are marked out in
chalk and basting stitches.
Vorkosigan insignia. These two, plus the two
identical maple leaves on the sleeves of the
jacket, were the most difficult part of the
decoration to execute.
Each leaf has nineteen sharp angles
that the cord has to fit, and needed to be
sewn down by hand. The system that finally
worked for me was to first chalk the outline
of the leaf on the fabric, using a paper
template to get all four leaves identical. I
then had to mark the outline with thread, as
Next, I placed the soutache cord on the
fabric, pinning it down through the fabric
onto a cardboard backing. This used most of
the pins in our house. (Each curve, no matter
how short, required at least a pin at each end
and one half way along the arc.) With a
curved upholstery needle, and more highcontrast (pink) thread, I basted the soutache
cord to the fabric, removing the pins as I
went, and trying to poke my fingers on the
pins as seldom as possible.
Finally I was able to remove the fabric
from the cardboard, letting me hand sew the
soutache to the fabric using the final silver
thread.
After the body of the coat was
assembled, I decided it did not have nearly
enough silver braid on it! I looked for blank
spaces on the front, and added more braid. I
outlined the pocket openings with soutache
cord. The hardest part here was hiding the
ends of the cord.
Back of coat.
Inspiration here came from the Dress
Regulations of the Army, 1900, as all twelve
British hussar regiments had different
variations of this same style. Each section of
curved braid has a maple leaf outlined in
soutache cord at the top, part of the
Detail of the braid at the pockets.
The maple leaves on the back are basted in place
with high-contrast thread.
-18-
May 2011
I also needed some more decoration in
the upper chest area, where Cossack coats
have loops to hold rifle cartridges. This also
gave the uniform more of a Russian look.
pattern (as in the insignia of Polish
generals). For younger sons, just one row of
wide braid, and for retainers varying rows of
soutache cord.
The collar has a very stylized three
mountains on it, made from the wide silver
braid. I experimented with a number
different ideas here, but this one seemed to
read the best. It was also one of the last
things that got done, when time started to
become pressing.
Detail of the Cossack-style cartridge loops on the
upper chest.
The sleeves were heavily braided too.
If I ever were to redo this costume, I would
add two smaller points on either side of the
main point on the wide silver braid on the
sleeve - to echo the three mountains of the
Vorkosigan badge.
Detail of the sleeve braid, the soutache cord forms a
maple leaf and outlines the wider braid.
The braiding I designed would be for
the oldest Vorkosigan son, of course. Count
Vorkosigan should have something even
fancier; I would probably add another row
of braid, or put the second row in a zig-zag
Detail of the collar. The wide braid forms three stylized
mountains. The loop in the soutache cord at the front
serves to conceal the end of the cord.
There was not enough space to fit a
maple leaf on the collar. I eventually found a
pair of silver maple leaf pinback earrings,
that I intended to add to the collar, but they
don't match the integrated look of the rest of
the uniform, so they remain unused.
-19-
There are two outside and four inside
pockets on the jacket. Unfortunately, doing
up the hooks and eyes is so troublesome that
the inside pockets are nearly useless. Finally,
I was never able to find the right riding
boots so I have always worn the livery with
black boots. The perfect boots, in my mind,
would be World War I style English officer's
boots, the kind with laces at the ankle, only
in chocolate brown.
There are enough details to give it the
Russian-influenced look that I was striving
for, and the complexity and symmetry of the
decoration forced me to learn or invent a
number of new techniques. Overall though, I
am very pleased with how the uniform
turned out. Despite being based on a very
minimal description, it has proved easily
recognizable by a variety of science fiction
fans.
Although I will probably not be doing
any more costumes from the Vorkosigan
universe, this project has made me consider
other from-the-book costumes. Particularly,
given my interest in the English
Regency/Napoleonic Wars period, I have
been taking note of costuming details while
reading Naomi Novik's Temeraire series.
Christofer Bertani is interested in
historical costume re-creation centered
around the English Regency/Napoleonic
era, particularly uniforms, with a sideline in
SF costuming from written sources. His
review of a book on military costumes
appears in this issue
May 2011
Feature
Japanese War
Fans
Philip Gust*
A little-known weapon
of the Japanese Samurai provides many
opportunities for historical, as well as,
anime costumers.
Samurai were skilled in the use of a
range of weapons, including bows and
arrows, knives, spears and guns. Their most
famous weapon, and the symbol that
represented the honor of the Samurai, was
the sword. The word “Samurai” finds its
root in “samorau” (or “saburau”), a verb in
Japanese that means "to serve".
These traditional weapons have
become so associated with the Samurai,
thanks to countless romantic representations
in movies and literature, that most people
would be surprised to learn of another
weapon that was equally indispensable to
them: the war fan.
I first learned about this surprising
accessory while attending an event put on by
the Fan Association of North America
(FANA) at the Hand Fan Museum in
Healdsburg California last year (see VC
volume 8 issue 4 (2010), pp 46-48). I
already knew that the fan was an
indispensable accessory in Japanese culture,
but I had not appreciated just how pervasive
it was.
For those who are planning on creating
costumes
based on the
Samurai
warrior, or
even for those
involved in
Anime
costuming, a
war fan not
only adds a
note of
authenticity,
but also
provides an
opportunity
to incorporate
one in
Samurai general in armor with
interesting
Dansen uchiwa (war fan).
ways into
your presentation.
The purpose of this article is to provide
an introduction to the types and uses of
Japanese war fans that can serve as a
launching point for your own costume
research.
The Fans of War
The fan was customarily carried in the
hand or tucked in the obi (belt), especially in
ceremonial dress. The folding fan also
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ISSN 2153-9022
played a significant role in Japanese
etiquette, especially on formal occasions,
and was rarely ever out of a samurai's
possession.
Given the prevalence of fans in
Japanese society and their use for
ceremonial communications, it's not
surprising to learn that fans were also used
as signaling devices on the battle field. The
use of sound to signal in battle has always
been unreliable. Horns and drums carry a
certain distance, but their sound can be
blocked or misdirected by physical
obstacles. Colorfully painted fans, on the
other hand, can be seen at great distances
wherever there is a direct line of site, and
their messages can be relayed from one
signaler to another to cover greater
distances. Three primary types of war fans
were employed for different purposes.
Gunbei-uchiwa. The earliest type of
war fan adapted the ceremonial fan for use
on the battlefield as both as a signaling
device and as a defensive weapon. The
Gunbei-uchiwa was a large, open fan made
of solid iron, metal with a wooden core, or
solid wood. They were usually carried by
high-ranking officers to signal their troops
on the battlefield. The gunbei can also be
used defensively. Because they were made
of hard materials, the solid construction
could deflect, or ward off, arrows or sword
blows.
May 2010
As a signaling device, the gunsen
served the same role as the gunbei. They
were often highly decorated to make them
more visible, and because they were not
solid and could fold, they could also be
made in larger sizes to make them more
visible.
Solid iron signal fan "gunbai or gumpai". Photo by
Samurai Antique World.
As a defensive weapon, the gunsen
could also be used to deflect arrows or
sword blows using the the metal outer
spokes in a folded configuration. The
construction made the fan solid without
incurring the weight of the solid gunbei.
Bronze folding tessen war fan, Edo period, 18th
century. Photo by The Mandala, Fukuoka Japan.
Gunbei were difficult to carry because
they were rigid and often made of heavier
materials, so there were fewer choices about
where they could be hung without
interfering with the use of other weapons.
Gunsen. Another type of war fan was
an improvement over the gunbei in terms of
portability and utility. The gunsen, or
folding war fan, was made of wood, bronze,
brass or a similar metal for the inner spokes,
and often used thin iron or other metals for
the outer spokes or cover, making them
lightweight but strong.
Gunsen were frequently carried by
Bushi in armor and used as a weapon of
both attack and defense. They were hung
from a variety of places, including the belt
or breastplate, though such placement often
made it more difficult to use a sword or a
bow.
folding fan with metal ribs. They were
designed to look like normal, harmless
folding fans, which Samurai could take to
places where swords or other overt weapons
were not allowed. Another type of tessen
was a non-folding solid club shaped to look
like a closed fan.
Edo period “gunsen” fan with wood ribs and an iron
outer cover. Photo by Samurai Antique World.
The gunsen could also be used
offensively as a striking weapon. Due to the
more solid construction of the spokes, a
folded Gunsen could be used at close
quarters, when other weapons were not
available, to inflict serious injury to
unprotected areas of an opponent.
Tessen. A third type of fan succeeded
both the gunbei and the gunsen on the battle
field. The tessen, literally "iron fan," was a
-21-
Like its predecessors, the tessen could
be used for signaling on the battlefield. It
could also be used both defensively and
offensively. The versatile tessen could fend
off arrows and darts, be used as a throwing
or impact weapon, and aid in swimming.
Some swordsmanship schools included
training in the use of the tessen as a weapon.
Non-folding, club tessen were used as defensive and
offensive weapons. Photo by Samurai Antique World.
May 2011
War Fans At Home and in Battle
When performing domestic chores, at
leisure, or meeting with superiors the
samurai was often disarmed. A warrior was
also generally required to leave one or both
swords with an attendant if visiting another's
home. Armed with a tessen in his obi,
though, the samurai was never completely
unarmed. He could easily defend himself in
an emergency with what appeared to be a
common, everyday object.
It was considered unseemly to use a
sword against a lower ranking rival. On the
other hand, tessen-jutsu was considered
sophisticated, especially among the higher
ranking samurai, and many actually
preferred to defend themselves with a
tessen.
There are many legends regarding
combat about the use of an iron fan. The
hero of many Japanese sagas, Yoshitsune
allegedly learned swordsmanship and
tessen-jutsu secrets from the Tengu,
mythical beings who were supposed to be
expert martial artists.
As kendo instructors to the Tokugawa
shoguns, the Yagyu ryu were also famous
for their iron fan defensive techniques.
Many examples of duels were said to be
won using iron fans against naked swords,
and even deaths caused by blows from a
tessen. A famous 16th century swordsman,
Ganryu, armed only with his tessen,
defeated several armed opponents in one
incident.
The versatility of these fans is
illustrated by a famous story from various
sources. Araki Murashige was an important
figure of the late Warring States period.
Summoned to appear before Oda Nobunaga,
the first of the three great unifiers of Japan,
Murashige knew that his life hung in the
balance and that only his tessen stood
between him and an unpleasant demise. A
method of Nobunaga's retainers for
disposing of enemies was to snap their neck
between the heavy wooden door panels that
separated the antechamber from the
reception hall when the visitor performed
the ritual bow greeting across the threshold.
When he bowed, Murashige placed his
tessen in the groove in which the door
panels slid, and there was a loud bang as the
doors suddenly bounced against the steel
rods of the fan, but no blood flowed.
Murashige acted as if nothing had happened,
and his composure was acknowledged by
Nobunaga with reconciliation and favors.
The legend may or may not be true, but
it demonstrates the respect that war fans had
among the feudal samurai of Japan.
Uses of War Fans in CosPlay
War fans provide new scope for
historical costumers,
but they are also ideal
as accessories for
action-packed skits by
anime cosplayers. There
are many examples.
Takeda Shingen in the
video game series
-22-
Samurai Warriors wields a dansen uchiwa in
the first game, and in SW2, Ishida Mitsunari
also wields a tessen. Female ninja video
game character Mai Shiranui also uses war
fans, and a pair of sharp metal fans are used
in the Mortal Kombat series and films.
War fans could be incorporated into the
choreography of a combat skit, with
combatants using war fans to vary the pace,
or adding a surprise ending by having a
disarmed warrior defeat an opponent using a
war fan hidden in his or her costume.
References
Blog, “The Japanese War Fan,”
http://toshogu.blogspot.com/2009/05/japanesewar-fan.html, May 12, 2009.
Cunningham, Don, “Defensive
Weapons of the Japanese Samurai,”
http://www.e-budokai.com/articles/weapons.htm,
2010.
Deal, William E., Handbook to Life in
Medieval and Early Modern Japan. Facts on
File, 2005.
Ratti, Oscar, Secrets of the Samurai: A
Survey of the Martial Arts of Feudal Japan.
Tuttle Publishing, 1991.
Wikipedia, “Japanese War Fans,”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_war_fan
Philip Gust enjoys sci-fi and fantasy
costuming, and has particular interests in
props, special effects, and prosthetic
makeup. He also costumes in historical
periods, including Regency, Victorian, and
early 20th C.
May 2011
Feature
Sullivan Ballou's
Farewell
Lisa A. Ashton
The documentation for
a historical masquerade
entry shows how critical background
research is to accurately recreating a littleknown historical character.
“With the War begun, we are
practicing some economies…”
Thus begins our journey into the
culture and dress of the mid-19th century,
researching how Sara Ballou, a middle-class
New England young wife and mother might
have dressed, as her husband went to war.
The inspiration for this dress was a real
person from history—Sarah Ballou, wife of
Sullivan Ballou, an up-and-coming Rhode
Island lawyer at the outset of the Civil War,
whose final letter to his wife, written from
his military encampment just a week before
his death in battle, captured our national
imagination at the end of the first episode of
Ken Burns’ remarkable documentary, The
Civil War. The documentary gave rise to a
book based on Sullivan and Sarah Ballou
and their heritage, called For Love &
Liberty by Robin Young (Thunders Mouth
Press, NY: 2006).
No extant photos of the couple together
exist, and only one of Sarah as a much older
woman; thus I researched clothing of the
Civil War era itself. My inquiries followed
parallel pathways: references of Providence
and New England, dress styles and sewing
techniques of the time, sources regarding
technology and the Industrial Revolution,
authentic vintage photos and garments,
lectures and conferences.
Sandy Swank as Sullivan Ballou and Lisa Ashton as
his wife, Sarah Ballou. Photo by Ken Warren.
Editors Note
This article shows highlights of Lisa
Ashton's documentation for her Costume-Con 29
Historical Masquerade entry, “The Letter” with
Sandy Swank as Sullivan Ballou. Lisa received a
Best in Open Division award for her 50+ page
portfolio. The editor is grateful to Lisa for
providing access to this material as she created it
in the weeks before the convention.
Sullivan Ballou in uniform, early 1861, and (probably)
Sarah Ballou, likely late 1880s. She never remarried,
and died in 1915.
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ISSN 2153-9022
A critical choice, once the dress style
was decided, was of fabric; what was most
authentic? I wanted dark blue as the
background color, for Union and liberty.
And a small print was desirable, possibly
with a tiny flash of color. Small prints were
popular for women’s dresses, as it was easier
May 2010
to repair worn areas or rework the dress,
since the repairs would “disappear” into a
small pattern. Frugality, already a way of
life, became more so for a population in
wartime.
I loved the bit of green in the print as a
lovely
contrast; and
by making
green piping
(although
contrasting
piping was
less common),
the dress
became more
striking,
although there
is little other
decoration.
For the socioeconomic
class to which
Small geometric prints were most Sullivan and
economical since little fabric is
Sarah
wasted matching the pattern.
belonged,
middle-class but not starting their adult lives
in luxury, good sturdy clothing with few
frills seemed likely.
The South historically exported its raw
cotton to England and Europe to weave into
cloth; but there were cotton mills close by in
Lowell, Massachusetts, which produced
roller print designs on wool and cotton
fabrics.
The sections of the documentation
examine the Bodice, Skirt, Undergarments,
Accessories-- including jewelry, hairstyles,
Chatelaines, aprons, collars and cuffs, hose,
and the overall portrait of a 1861 lady, Sarah
Ballou. Following the text for each section
are examples illustrating and explaining that
element of dress.
The Bodice
The corset completed, work on the
bodice began. It was critical to achieve the
snug fit demanded by vintage photographs,
and the “dropped” sleeve is one of the
absolute details of the period. I was drawn to
the “bishop” or “coat” sleeve, which has
gathered fullness at the armscye, is wide at
the elbow and then very fitted at the wrist.
These design elements, in addition to the
very snugly fitted torso, provide the
quintessential “look” we associate with the
early Civil War era. Horizontal lines—in the
form of sleeve and hem embellishments-were emphasized to make one look wider,
with the effect of making the waistline
smaller. Both “bishop” or “pagoda” sleeves
accomplish this.
My first try, after a muslin mock-up,
was a light grey wool blend. I was still
learning the “self-piping” required for the
neck, hem and armscyes. This is difficult to
do neatly at first. Dresses were made this
way to increase their durability, especially at
tension points such as underarm seams.
Most piping was 1/8 inch to ¼ inch in
diameter (or smaller). Although the piping
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was normally the same fabric as the bodice,
contrasting piping was known.
The bodice is boned at the front fitting
darts and the side
seams (with a boned
corset, as well). The
center front closure
can lap either way,
which- ever is
easiest for the
woman dressing
herself. I chose
traditional, buttons
on the left.
A center front
closure was by far
Fitted bodice front: a) armseye, the most common;
b) center-front opening
the skirt could have
a center front or side
closure, depending
on whether the dress
was one piece (skirt
basted into
waistband) or twopiece. Having a twopiece dress meant
the bodice (and
skirt) could provide
more than one
Fitted body back: a) shoulder
seam, b) side seam, c) side
“style”. A skirt could
back seam
also be used with a
Garibaldi blouse (usually white) and a
“Swiss belt” (a wide “waist-cincher” with a
diamond shaped front that covered the
waistband) for another “style”. These were
May 2011
called “convertibles” or “transformers”
rather than “separates” (as we know them).
This bodice style does not require an
undersleeve,
as does a
“pagoda”
sleeve, but
white cuffs
and collars
were mostly
worn. They
were of
cotton, to
withstand
Truly Victorian (TV 443) 1861 Dress hard
Bodice pattern.
laundering
(with lye soap), and women normally had
many sets of them, as they were exposed to
the parts of the dress most likely to become
soiled. They were basted inside, and then the
collar could stand up or be folded over.
A black
collar and cuffs
could be
exchanged in the
event of
mourning, so that
one needed no
new clothes.
Crocheted collars
and cuffs were
Two sets of plain "collar and cuffs"
made by re-enactor Debi Barlow.
also worn, and
might not even be Exchanged for black for mourning.
basted, just sitting on the neckline.
A note on linings of garments: linings
are often divided up by area, and whatever
fabric was available was used, with no
worry about whether the sleeve lining
matched the body lining or the skirt lining.
Women below the wealthy were pragmatic
—especially about parts that were not seen. I
used a Victorian-looking cotton, which was
also that used for the apron, and all the way
to the selvage edge.
The Skirt
Dresses were made in two pieces, a
bodice and a
skirt; and were
sometimes
attached in the
inside bodice,
and sometimes
left separate.
Skirts were
almost always
made with the
full width of
yardage, from
selvage to
selvage (which
also decreased
fraying seams),
and seam
allowances were
repeated horizontal skirt
usually ¼ inch, Simple
decoration. Note symmetric knife
to conserve
pleats and horizontal hem
decorations. Skirt does not touch
fabric. Seam
collar, cuffs, and
allowances were ground.Typical
bishop sleeves.
usually pressed
to one side; if not selvage edges, they are
often overcast together to prevent fraying.
Fabric widths were narrower then as well; in
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the 1860’s fabrics were commonly 18 to 36
inches wide.
There was no “hem” as we know it, the
fabric being folded under; rather, the bottom
of the skirt would be lined or have a wide
facing (6 inches or more), and would be
bound together with a “hem protector” of
twill tape (usually cotton or wool, depending
on the dress fabric). The extra 3 inch to 6
inch skirt length would be “folded over” at
the waist (before pleating). This left the
excess fabric easily accessible inside the
skirt. Waistbands were most often heavy
grosgrain or strong fabric just sewn onto the
skirt top. Waistbands were never seen, and
could be tacked into the bodice, for a onepiece dress.
The most common waist
treatments were
symmetric
knife pleats or
cartridge
pleats (right).
Box pleats and doublebox pleats were also seen,
often in “dressier”
dresses. These
are laid out
after the
waist fabric is folded
together. It means working with multiple
layers of fabric, and I found that it was best
sewed to the waistband by hand. The skirt
does NOT touch the floor, but is most
commonly 2 to 3 inches above it.
May 2011
My skirt has a sewn-in pocket on the
left side (with the skirt closure on the right).
A sewn-in pocket was common in the
1860’s, rather than the tied-on pockets of
preceding centuries. I “staggered” the
various closures: hoops, petticoats, skirt, so
they do not lie atop one another, creating a
bulge. Tiny watch pockets also exist, usually
at the waist in a dress with a straight waist.
Undergarments
The Madame Foy “skirt-supporting”
corset is
constructed
differently than
any of my
previous corsets;
the instructions
direct one to sew
the lining and
outside together
in one seam, then
the layers of the
outside are
folded over, and
the process
repeated for the next section. However, the
same principles of precise cutting and
sewing apply, as for all corset construction.
I modified the pattern a bit, added an
interlining for durability and more boning
for shaping and support. I made my own
matching bias binding. The cane reed in a
channel in the lower back of the corset lifts
the hoops and swings them more to the rear,
giving the proper silhouette. Elastic was
available in 1861, and the straps incorporate
elastic strips for adjustment, as well as
buckles.
“A real lady would rather have run
down the street without
shoes and stockings than
not worn her hoops!”
according to a costume
historian at the 1860’s
Conference in March
2011 (see related
article in this issue).
With steel for hoops
easily obtained,
hoopskirts or a cage crinoline were actually
much more economical than many layers of
petticoats (fabric was expensive), as well as
more comfortable. Rather than the legs
tangling in layers of heavy fabric, one is
able to move more freely, and even personal
necessity becomes more convenient.
Hoops worn during the day were
usually somewhat
narrower than
ballgown hoops. With
a little practice,
everyday activities are
easily accomplished
wearing hoops.
Although I tried
various patterns for a
chemise, a recurring
problem was the
armscyes being too
small and tight at the
underarm. After
viewing many extant
chemises, I eventually drew my own pattern
for a yoke, added some whitework
embroidery to it, and a gathered dress. None
of the original chemises I saw had horizontal
tucks on the skirt, so I didn’t use them;
although the petticoat has them, and the
drawers.
Interestingly, while today black
stockings are
considered
better for
dressy attire, in
the Civil War
era it was the
reverse: black
stockings were
more for
everyday use
and white were
considered
dressier. So I
have both black
and white
stockings. The
blue knit
Civil War period Parisian
illustration of undergarments
garters were
typically worn in the 19th c.
knitted for me
by a friend, using a traditional pattern, from
that era.
Accessories
Yoked chemise of typical
design, gathered at the top.
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Of all Civil War era images, very few
women are photographed wearing aprons.
Certainly, at home when engaged in work
such as cleaning, cooking, caring for
children or the ill, an apron would have been
worn. Sarah’s household was not wealthy,
May 2011
and even with a servant in the home, she
would have done housework and cared for
her young sons.
In photos of women wearing aprons,
they are a darker color or a
print, but not white. An
apron may have been a
recycled dress, though that
was more likely for poor or
working women. Of course
an apron would not be worn
to greet guests or outside
the house.
My brooch is an
authentic Victorian hair
brooch, which I bought at a
flea market. It was dated as
being from the late 1850’s.
Brooches were most
commonly worn at the
center neckline, sometimes
to fasten the collar ends.
watch chains, whether gold or made of hair
work, hung from the neck, with the watch
fitting into a tiny pocket. Bracelets were
popular, and often matching sets were worn
on both wrists.
Hairstyles for early 1860’s
ladies show that the hair was mostly
parted straight in the middle, and
then the hair was braided or put up,
in a more or less decorative way.
Many women wore a hair net or
snood both at
Sewing Chatelaine. I reproduced this one in a 1860s
home and out;
conference workshop. Collection of Kay Cogswell.
it could be
open-woven
ribbons or lacework.
The hairbands I have
made have decorative
ribbonwork sewed on
to them, with the hair
net at the back to
Hair net cap with
confine the hair.
ribbons, 1861.
Most jewelry made
with hair was NOT
mourning jewelry (if it
were, it would have a tiny
black band or ribbon).
Jewelry was also made from
Hair jewlery, as all Victorian jewelry, had
symbolic messages. Braided hair within
miniature photographs.
Work apron covered nearly entire skirt.
brooch represents "binding together.
Work
aprons
were
sometimes
made
of
Pierced ears were common
Serpent twisted on itself means “fidelity.”
small prints to conceal stains.
(there were no “clip-on”
earrings at that time) and earrings frequently
worn. Also popular were watch fobs, or
chains for pocket watches, which attached
to a button or buttonhole. A charm or
of woven hair watch fobs from The Art of Hair Work..
pendant could hang from the middle. Some Examples
The level of detail present in these pieces is incredible.
The Chatelaine was a sort of decorative
tied-on belt that had various sewing tools
tied to it with silk ribbon. It was made by
weaving silk ribbon with 5/8” brass rings,
then making the small pin cushions and
needle pillows, and tying them on.
My chatelaine is a faithful replica of
a vintage chatelaine at left.
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Portrait of a
Lady
Sarah Ballou was in many ways a
typical New England housewife of the Civil
War era, and her mode of dress would no
doubt have reflected those cultural mores.
Cotton fabric from the Lowell mills printed
with a small print, snugly-fitted bodice with
wide bishop sleeves and very flattering
swallowtail waist treatment, full skirt with
crisp knife pleating, neat white collar and
May 2011
cuffs, hair closely confined in a decorative
net, her sentimental brooch at her neckline, a
watch fob and sewing chatelaine at her
waist, her cotton apron tied on, to us she
epitomizes the style that, to our thinking,
immediately brings to mind a picture of a
lady of the early 1860’s.
For the chemise, skirts and the apron, I
just went by photographs and made my
own patterns; with the skirt, I just used
the full width of fabric to the selvage.
•
The fact that this is the first era of the
world so abundantly documented with
authentic photographic images, binds me to
a very high standard of reproducing
garments of the period. I have attempted to
utilize many primary sources to justify my
choices and construction. The pages that
follow offer further images of the complete
“portrait” that I have tried to achieve.
Bibliography
Books
Afterword
The inclusion of some authentic
photos, from my own collection, was
deliberate. Please view them as closely as
you are able—you are holding true history.
Also deliberate is my bringing an authentic
1860’s garment (a thin cotton petticoat with
amazing tucks) to the pre-judging. I search
for these photos relentlessly at Flea Markets,
yard sales and antique markets.
I found my authentic Victorian hair
jewelry that way—and many times, these
treasures come with stories of their own.
The petticoat was a gift to me by one of my
favorite Flea Market vendors, from an estate
he was cleaning out. He initially planned to
throw it away—but he knew I would be
there the following weekend.
I continue to find more wonderful
images in photos I find at Flea
Markets. Just at the end of assembling
the documentation, I found one of the
best photographs I used.
I thought this lady from Abraham's The Way They
Were had stepped out of time wearing my dress!
My hope is that, by handling actual
artifacts, we create a truly Victorian
atmosphere—a portal to our past. Even if
but for a fleeting moment, we may all take
this journey back in time together, emerging
at the end, having increased interest,
knowledge, and connection to our history.
•
Notes to Historical Judges: To try to be
more authentic to the period, I cut
everything with a scissors rather than a
rotary cutter.
•
As it ended up, the only patterns I used
were for the Madame Foy corset, the
Bishop-sleeve bodice, and the drawers.
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1. Abraham, Donna J., The Way They
Were: Dressed in 1860-1865, A
Photographic Reference, Abraham’s
Lady LLC Publ.: Gettysburg, PA,
2008. Essentially no text, just photos
from the author’s personal collection. I
totally understand wanting to collect
these photos now that I have been
collecting them for over two years.
And in this book, I found one or two
photos that could have been me
wearing one of my dresses.
2. Americana Review, The Country
Kitchen 1850, Americana Review:
Scotia, NY, 1965. Not a fashion
magazine, this small volume is an
exact reprint of mid-19th century
lady’s magazines, “Housekeeper’s
Friends”, recipes and advertisements.
Its ads for patent Wash Tubs,
cookstoves and various household
necessities definitely put me in a
Victorian mood.
May 2011
3. Blum, Stella, Fashions and Costumes
from Godey’s Lady’s Book 18371869, Dover Publ.: New York, 1985.
Alongside Peterson’s Magazine,
Godey’s Lady’s Book was the icon of
stylish dress in the 19th century. This
was an era in which most ladies sewed
their own dresses, or re-made their
own dresses, or embellished their own
dresses, and Godey’s made it possible
to be fashionable.
4. Bohleke, Dr.Karin, Garibaldis,
Engageantes & Cages: American
Fashions of the Civil War Era 18401870, Shippensburg Univ. Printing:
Shippensburg, PA, 2008. A small book
with photos of CDV’s and also photos
of extant period garments, including
close-ups of insides and linings.
5. Campbell, Mark, The Art of Hair
Work, Hair Braiding and Jewelry of
Sentiment, Lacis Publ.: Berkeley, CA,
1989. Essentially a reprint of the
original 1875 “self-instructor” work by
the listed author, with some
supplements from Godey’s Lady’s
Book, as well as explanations of the
symbolism. The diagrams of how to do
it are wonderful and quite easy to
understand. Unfortunately I ran out of
time to make my own pieces; it is a
very labor-intensive and timeconsuming art, which may explain its
value to Victorian ladies.
6. Darrah, William C., Cartes De Visite
in Nineteenth Century Photography,
WC Darrah Publ: Gettysburg, PA,
1981. A museum quality book about
the very beginning of photography and
photographers, from the first
daguerrotypes in the late 1830’s
onward. It explains the variety of
available photographic processes, and
the evolution of the CDV, as well as
much of the symbolism present in
various poses, clothing, and objects in
photos.
7. Dalrymple, Priscilla Harris, American
Victorian Costume in Early
Photographs, Dover Publ. Inc.: New
York, 1991. Another source with many
photo reproductions of good quality, by
decade. Her chapter on the 1860’s
addresses the new idea of “separates”
(then called “transformers” or
“convertibles”) to give garments
greater utility and considered as
“fashionable and economical”
(Peterson’s Jan. 1862).
8. Harris, Kristina, Victorian Fashion in
America, 264 Vintage Photographs,
Dover Publ.: Mineola, NY, 2002. A
brief but informative overview of the
types of photo processes and
photographs, then a selection of photos
by decade, although rather heavily
weighted toward the latter part of the
Victorian era, so less useful for Civil
War era.
9. Johnston, Lucy, V & A, Nineteenth
Century Fashion in Detail, V & A
Publ.: London, 2009 Edition. A
wonderful book in color, for the detail
it provides of workmanship throughout
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the 19th century. The garments
photographed in the book were far
grander than what I envisioned for
myself, or what a middle class
American lady would have worn, but
the workmanship! Oh my! The photos
show detail down to the individual
stitches.
10. Leisch, Juanita, An Introduction to
Civil War Civilians, Thomas Publ.:
Gettysburg, PA 1994. Many vintage
photographs, and chapters on cultural
mores of the time, family life, social
life and society, and the effects of war
on civilian life and economics.
11. Leisch, Juanita, Who Wore What?
Women’s Wear 1861-1865, Thomas
Publ.: Gettysburg, PA, 1995.
Considered The Bible of Civil War era
Victorian dress in the United States.
Ms. Leisch statistically inventories the
many clothing variations of the era,
using photographs and primary sources
(i.e. actual garments). She makes it
clear that younger women and older
women dressed quite differently, and
this was cogent to my own research.
Her analyses include “head to toe”
minutely categorized common
elements of each article of clothing of
the time.
12. Setnik, Linda, Victorian Costume for
Ladies 1860-1900, Schiffer Publ. Co.:
Atglen, PA, 2000. Almost all
photographs of Cartes-de-visite, with
explanations of styles divided by
decade, and how various style elements
May 2011
evolved. It also includes
undergarments, hairstyles, and even
how laundry was done!
13. Severa, Joan, Dressed for the
Photographer: Ordinary Americans
& Fashion 1840-1900, Kent State
University Press: Kent, OH, 1995.
Although I do not own this book,
thanks to Gypsy Ames for helping me
find the time period I was looking for.
These photographs of a wide spectrum
of Americans in daily life provide a
fascinating glimpse into the era’s less
“fashionable” citizens, in their daily
activities.
14. Shep, R.L., Civil War Ladies:
Fashions and Needle-Arts of the
Early 1860’s, Primary Source
Material from Peterson’s Magazine
1861 and 1864, RL Shep Publications:
Ft. Bragg, CA 1987. Exactly as the
title claims: reprints from Peterson’s
Magazine, with drawings, instructions
and fashion advice, jewelry, hairstyles,
actual patterns to be enlarged, designs
for decoration and many drawings and
patterns for hair jewelry. Peterson’s
Magazine was one of the mainstays of
the period for fashion.
15. Wolff, Colette, The Art of
Manipulating Fabric, Chilton Publ.:
Radnor, PA, 1996. To learn about
cartridge pleating (p. 106-108), other
pleating, and tucks (p. 149-155), and
other fabric techniques that would have
been common to the period (ruching,
gathering, box pleating, etc.).
16. Young, Robin, For Love and Liberty:
The Untold Civil War Story of Major
Sullivan Ballou and His Famous
Love Letter, Basic Books Publ.: 2005.
Gives interesting biographical and
genealogical history for Sullivan and
Sarah Ballou, and puts Sullivan’s
famous letter into its historical context.
4.
Patterns
1. Ladies Victorian Underwear,
Laughing Moon Mercantile: 1998
(Laughing Moon 100) -- I tried the
chemise, and wasn’t thrilled with it—
the armscyes were just too tight, no
matter what adjustments I made. I have
made the corset patterns many times,
and they work well with this clothing
too.
2. Net for the Hair, L.R. Miller:
Lancaster, PA 1990 (Miller’s Millinery
Portfolio Patterns: 9001).
3. Madame Foy Skirt Supporting
Corset, Past Patterns: 1995 (Past
Patterns 720): originals stamped with
patent dates beginning 1862. On my
second version, I interlined the corset
with twill for durability, made my own
lacings by hand with a lucet, and used
self-made bias binding for it, also
modifying the pattern a bit to use more
boning for better structure. It is quite
comfortable, and more adjustable,
because it laces up two sides instead of
just the back; in addition, the skirtsupporting rear cane helps tilt the
-30-
5.
6.
7.
hoops correctly, to create a more
elliptical shape.
Skirt, Past Patterns: 1985 (Past
Patterns 700 – 1850-1863): I started
with this but ended up just using my
fabric from selvage to selvage, since I
was not doing fancy decorations. The
pleating technique I learned out of The
Art of Fabric Manipulation, listed
above.
Hoops and Petticoat, Martha McCain:
2001 (Simplicity Fashion Historian
9764): I started with this, but then
figured out a way to make the hoops
without a specific pattern. And
probably this is something that ladies
of that time knew how to do.
Chemise and Drawers, Martha
McCain: 2001 (Simplicity Fashion
Historian 9769): I used this pattern for
the drawers, with a little modification,
but not the chemise. I didn’t like the
very low neckline, it seemed like it
would “pull” at the shoulders.
Dress Bodice, 2004 (Truly Victorian
TV443 – 1861): This is a bodice which
has the two points in front and the
“swallowtail” back with three points
(very challenging to trim with piping).
I loved the “bishop” or “coat” sleeve of
this bodice and knew from the start it
was what I wanted, as being a
quintessential style of that time. The
entire bodice is lined with cotton that I
had in my stash. I used it to the
selvage, which is authentic to the
period. The main body is also
May 2011
interlined and boned for structure (the
sleeves are only lined, not interlined).
This pattern was relatively easy to
adjust for bust size and waist length to
be correct. To make the beige-brown
print dress, I modified the bodice
pattern for a straight waist, and made a
belt for it in a contrasting color, to play
up the bit of red in the print. I spaced
the button front closure differently.
Miscellaneous
1. Ribbonwork workshop at a remote
Costume Con, for which I produced a
“sampler” of techniques, and which
became a hanging on my wall—until I
used the techniques of folded ribbon to
make the hairband-net.
2. “Ladies and Gentlemen of the
1860’s”: Clothing and Culture of the
1860’s”: Conference sponsored by
Genteel Arts LLC March 3-6, 2011 in
Camp Hill, PA, Carolann Schmitt,
Chair. Special Thanks to Maggie
Halberg for the workshop on
“Perfecting Your Patterns”, and to Kay
Cogswell for the workshop on
“Ribbons and Rings: A Sewing
Chatelaine”, in which we exactly
reproduced from scratch a sewing
chatelaine of the period. Also great
thanks to Marge Harding for the
workshop on “Identifying Victorian
Jewelry” and being allowed to
photograph and even handle (!) much
of her own collection of jewelry—and
finding out that my flea market finds
from 2010 were indeed authentic
pieces of hair jewelry from the 1850’s
and 1860’s. Special thanks are due to
Carolann Schmitt for her talk titled
“Steel Mills and Steel. Petticoats: How
the Industrial Revolution Changed the
Way America Dressed”, and its time
line and bibliography. This lecture,
which described the evolution of
machine woven and machine printed
textiles, and commercially sewn
clothes, greatly enhanced my
understanding of Civil War era
clothing. Displays of extant clothing
and artifacts brought by attendees from
their personal collections were
changed daily, and photography
permitted. The novel aspect was seeing
a lot of the insides of garments, to
understand their construction. This
conference was an incredible learning
experience, populated by extremely
knowledgeable people with a real
passion for the Civil War era.
3. Personal direct or email
conversations with: Debbie Barlow of
Laurel, MD, a Costume Historian, and
my thanks for her graciously allowing
me to handle and photograph her
historic dresses of the 1860’s; Michelle
Nordtrop-Madson of the H-Costume
List, Fran of Lavolta Press, Costume
Historian on the H-Costume List,
Elizabeth S. Clark of the H-Costume
List, Sunshine Buchler of the HCostume List. They all had informed
and pertinent comments that I
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incorporated into the costume itself
and the further Civil War era dresses I
made, as well as suggestions for other
resources.
4. My own collection of Victorian
photographs: bought over the past 3
years at yard sales, flea markets,
antique and junk shops. Although I
have fewer photos of the 1860’s as
opposed to later Victorian decades,
these photos have enabled me to be
able to discern style differences that
date the dresses to a certain decade or
part of a decade. The people in the
photos speak their own language
through the years that have passed.
Lisa A. Ashton is a Science Fiction &
Fantasy and historical costumer who
started costuming after attending
Noreascon in 1989. Over 20 years later, she
is still trying to design and build that
perfect costume that will make people gasp
in wonder. Other passions include beading,
hunting, stamp collecting, gardening and
canning, and collecting authentic Victorian
photographs to study fashion history. As a
Physician Assistant in Emergency Medicine
for the last 25 years, she has had many
opportunities to hone her sewing skills on
her patients. Lisa is Program Director for
Costume-Cons 29 and 30. Visit her web site
(still under construction). Her event report,
“Ladies and Gentlemen of the 1860s
Conference,” appears in this issue.
May 2011
Feature
An Able
Seaman
Kevin Roche*
A themed costume
party and a chance discovery of a rare
photo inspired an award-winning historic
masquerade entry.
This is the uniform ca. 1912 for an able
seaman posted on a White Star Line
passenger liner, more specifically the RMS
Titanic. The project was started as a costume
to wear to a Titanic-themed party I was
helping to host in February 2010. I had seen
reproduction White Star Line sailor’s caps
for sale, and thought that a seaman’s
uniform would be fun to wear as a host.
Eventually I found
this photo of a seaman on
deck taken by Fr. Frank
Browne during the first
leg of the Titanic’s maiden
voyage, so I felt more
confident in my belief that
uniformed merchant navy
seamen’s uniforms were
also based on the Royal
Navy uniforms of the
Seaman on deck of time, in this case the Class
the Titanic
II “square rig” ratings
uniform. This photo also
confirmed that they were wearing the blue
(winter) uniform.
I chose to simply build a Royal Navy
Class II uniform sans ratings or other
markings; my reference photos are actually
of extant vintage Royal Canadian Navy
uniform pieces available at the Canadian
Military Police Virtual Museum (CMPVM).
I discovered that, while many photos of
officers (and documentation of designs for
officers) confirm the resemblance of their
uniforms to that of the Royal Navy, there are
far fewer photos of uniformed crew.
Editors Note
“White Star Line Able Seaman's Uniform,”
created by Kevin Roche, won Best in Master
Division for documentation and was honored for
excellence in tailoring at the Costume-Con 28
Historical Masquerade. This article is based on
the award-winning documentation that Kevin
submitted to support his entry.
A RCNVR seaman. He is wearing a white cover
on his cap.
-32-
ISSN 2153-9022
White Star able seaman's Uniform. Photo by
Andy Trembley
May 2010
The uniform comprises:
• Flat cloth cap with embroidered tally
•
•
•
•
•
Jumper with square collar
Bellbottom trousers
Blue denim collar with three stripes
Black silk handkerchief
White wool flannel (undershirt) with
denim collar edge
• Black Leather half-boots
In a strictly accurate rendition, the cap,
jumper, trousers and flannel would all have
been made of wool (“blue wool serge” for
the jumper and trousers). As I am allergic to
wool, I used a navy blue cotton blend twill
for the cap, jumper and trousers, and a fine
woven cotton for the undershirt.
Detail of vintage naval fall‐front trousers
My trousers are actually based on the
US Navy 13-button fall front trousers; I was
able to obtain a custom-graded pattern for
them from Tamara Schirrmacher. These
required only minor fitting and modification
(notably in button placement) to look like
the 1912 British trousers. Seams in my
trousers are either flat-felled or finished on a
serger.
the pre WWI jumper is a very different
pattern from the WWII style middies
commonly found in surplus stores, with a
three-piece front.
An RCN rating’s cap
The pattern for my cap was drafted
from scratch based on photos of both
vintage garments and reproductions, and
constructed based on examination of an
RAF billed cap that I own. The stiffening in
the edge of the cap is achieved by the simple
expedient of French seaming two layers of
twill, two layers of hair interfacing and two
layers of lining.
I later found photos of the inside of
period Royal Navy caps and discovered
minor differences in the lining construction.
The White Star Lines tally was machine
embroidered for me by Judith Richardson; I
have tied it to resemble bows in use by
seamen of the period.
The square-collared jumper was
patterned from scratch based on photos of
extant vintage garments at the Canadian
Military Police Virtual Museum. Note that
-33-
Vintage blue serge jumper
I used the armscye and sleeve from
Simplicity Pattern 1234 to speed patterning,
but the rest of the pattern was deduced by
examining the construction details visible in
the photos and from descriptions of vintage
garments,including the drill interior pocket
and cuff linings. The twill tape in the center
front of the jumper is for securing a bight of
the silk handkerchief at the proper position
(a distinct difference between US and
British uniforms).
Based on the detail photos on the
CMPVM site, (and the construction of some
vintage uniform pieces I own), it appeared
that the seams the jumper are either flatfelled or French-seamed. I constructed my
jumper accordingly.
May 2011
appeared to have straight braid on his collar,
so I did the same.
Detail of the denim edging on vintage undershirt.
Details of the vintage jumper front (above), back and
collar (below)
Vintage stripe‐trimmed denim collar
I patterned the square-necklined flannel
(undershirt) from scratch based on the
photos and descriptions on the CMPVM
website.
The “flannel” is described as being
snug-fitting, which was a bit of a challenge
in a woven fabric. The CMPVM site also
mentions the sides were sometimes slit,
which provided the solution in my pattern to
achieve a snug fit in the chest and shoulders
while having a shirt that could be put on and
worn without tearing the seams.
Note the extra stitching line on the
right side of the photo (the left breast of the
jumper). That is where an inner pocket made
of cotton drill is attached. The sleeve cuffs
are also lined with drill.
The separate denim seaman’s collar
was patterned from scratch based on photos
of extant vintage garments at the CMPVM,
with the size deduced from the width of the
square collar on the jumper. While the RN
was apparently using wavy braid at this
time, the crewman in Fr. Browne’s photo
Vintage square-necklined wool flannel (undershirt).
The neckline is edged with a 1/2 inch
wide folded denim band. As with the
jumper, all the shirt seams were flat-felled.
-34-
My fitted undershirt
The black silk handkerchief is a 12
inch by 50 inch oblong, folded and pressed
as suggested by a photo of a vintage piece.
May 2011
Finding photos of ratings' ”half boots”
was particularly challenging. In addition to
Fr. Browne’s photo of a Titanic crew
member, an 1897 photo of a boxing match
aboard the USS Oregon offers a number of
hints, especially the shoe visible on one of
the seated boxers. I used assorted glimpses
there to inform my choice of the “lacers” I
purchased to complete my uniform.
References
A period sailor's silk handkerchief
When worn, the ends of the silk are
tied or pinned together behind the neck
under the collar so a 2” bight is left below
the neck opening, to be secured with the
twill tape coming from the jumper. The tape
would be tied in either a bow or a sailor’s
knot.. (In contrast, a USN sailor would roll
his silk on the diagonal, and the two ends
would be brought around front and tied
together in a square knot)
Canadian Military Police Virtual Museum
(CMPVM)
http://mpmuseum.org/
Royal Canadian Navy: 1910-1945
http://mpmuseum.org/rcn1918dregs.html
Introduction (includes description of kit
issued to naval seaman) Ratings' Uniforms
1910 - 1945 Class II Uniform "Square Rig"
http://mpmuseum.org/rcn_uniform_ratings1.html
(source of most the photos of extant vintage
garments in this documentation. A complete
copy of this webpage is attached in the
Additional Information)
British Royal Navy: The History of Rating
Uniforms
based on British Royal Navy uniforms
The Royal Navy, 1939-45 by Ian Sumner,
pp 47-49
http://books.google.com/books?
id=lnr7MkZLGz4C&pg=PA48&lpg=PA48&dq=roya
l+navy+seaman+silk&source=bl&ots=oZQbtfA2qZ
&sig=Z7PCaqMunR7yEKtpvHUkdTqkZaw&hl=en&
ei=vJ2AS968AovusgP3mNTvAw&sa=X&oi=book_re
sult&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CCQQ6AEwBjgK
#v=onepage&q&f=false
While this is for WWII era uniforms, Mr
Sumner makes it clear that the rating square
rig uniform underwent only minor changes
from its turn-of-the-century version. It is
from here that I found dimensions for the
silk handkerchief, which on examination
matched the apparent dimensions of the
1912 vintage silk in the CMPVM collection
photos.
Titanic images - photographs of the titanic
taken by Father Frank Browne
http://www.titanicphotographs.com/
In particular, this photograph shows a
member of the crew in the distinctive square
rig uniform (his shoes are also partly
visible):
http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/training-andpeople/rn-life/uniforms-and-badges-of-rank/thehistory-of-rating-uniforms/
http://www.titanicphotographs.com/galleryB.asp?
GalleryID=3&ID=224
Encyclopedia Brittanica: White Star Line
Officer's Uniform ca. 1912
http://www.shorpy.com/node/8059?size=_original
http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/white-starline-uniform-1912.html
Detail of one combatant's boot from "Fight Night:
1897"
While this describes the officers uniforms, it
makes it clear that WSL uniforms (as were
most merchant navy uniforms) were closely
-35-
Fight Night: 1897
A boxing match between seamen on the
deck of the USS Oregon. While this depict
US Navy sailors in a slightly earlier period,
lots of different shoes are visible, which
informed my boot shopping.
May 2011
Additional Photos of Costume
When historical judges consider an
entry, they have access to the costume. Here
are some photos to give you some idea what
the judges had a chance to see.
Finished cap.
Fall-front unbuttoned to show facing.
Front and 3/4 rear view showing
the collar, shirt, and hat.
Under construction; crown from front.
Trousers completely unbuttoned to show
facing.
Photos far left by Andy Trembley.
Other photos on this page by the author.
Cap under construction; crown from top.
-36-
Kevin Roche is a sci-fi fantasy
costumer with extensive experience
entering, judging, and running
masquerades. He was the Chair of
CostumeCon 26, is currently VP of SiW, and
received the International Costumers’ Guild
2007 Lifetime Achievement Award.
May 2011
Feature
WWII U.S. Army
Officers'
Uniforms
Byron Connell
U.S. Army officers' uniforms during
World War II had a tremendous range of
variations, a serious challenge for historical
costumers. Here is what you need to know to
assemble one from purchased parts or make
your own.
During the Second World War, the U.S.
Army wore uniforms that had been
introduced in 1926 and that continued to be
worn, with some modifications, until 1961,
when they were replaced by “Army Green”
uniforms -- a total of 35 years. This article
describe a male officer’s uniforms between
1941 and 1945, with some reference to
earlier and post-war changes.
On June 20, 1941, the
U.S. Army was divided
between the Army and the
Army Air Force, which had its
own chief of staff. The Army
consisted of eight Arms:
Armored Force, Coast
Artillery, Field Artillery,
Cavalry, Engineers, Infantry,
Signal Corps, and Tank
Destroyer Force. The Army
Air Force did not have separate branches. In
addition, there were 18 Services that served
both the Army Air Force and the rest of the
Army.
Unlike the British Army and other
Allied or Axis armies, the U.S. Army did not
have only one uniform for its enlisted men
and officers. In 1941, it had nine, in an effort
to provide appropriate dress for different
climates, conditions, and duties:
1. Wool service uniform with “coat” (i.e.,
jacket) (known as the “Class A”
uniform)
2. Wool service uniform with olive-drab
shirt and without coat (Class B)
3. Cotton service uniform with cotton or
wool olive-drab shirt (Class C)
4. Fatigue uniform of olive-drab
herringbone twill
5. Full dress uniform
6.
7.
8.
9.
Blue dress uniform
White dress uniform
Blue mess uniform
White mess uniform
With the U.S. entry into the war, the
dress and mess uniforms were discontinued
for the duration. This article will not deal
with them or the fatigue uniform.
Every officer was expected to have the
Class A uniform. Owning the others
depended on station and duty. Uniforms
were modified for use in the field.
Generally similar in design and cut,
uniforms for officers and enlisted men
differed markedly in color as well as
decoration. The Army described everything
simply as “olive-drab” until 1944, when it
assigned numbers to the different olive-drab
shades. However, the shades varied widely,
leaving officers with greener
jackets and trousers than
enlisted men, or with “light
drab” trousers commonly
called “pinks” that varied
from pinkish tan through
mauve to light gray in
privately purchased uniforms.
(Cards with the precise
colors, including dye
information, are available from
The Color Association of the
U.S. Army Uniforms, 1941 (not related to the list above).
-37-
ISSN 2153-9022
May 2010
United States, 24 East 38th Street, New York, NY
10016, USA.)
The most often depicted Class A
uniform combined the olive drab (“dark”
i.e., green) coat with the pink drab trousers
in a style called “pinks and greens.”
We will look at an officer’s uniform
“from the skin out.”
Underwear
Sources tend to be reticent about
officers’ underwear. That prescribed for
enlisted men, however, was:
With Class A or Class B uniform:
• olive drab wool T-shirt (long-sleeved
for winter wear)
•
olive drab wool underpants (boxers)
•
olive drab light wool socks
With Class C uniform:
• white cotton short-sleeved T-shirt
•
white cotton underpants (boxers)
•
khaki (i.e., tan) cotton socks
I presume that officers’ underwear was
similar.
Shirt
An officer had a choice of three shirts.
1. White cotton, until 1938. Beginning in
1938, a khaki (i. e., light tan) (#1 after
March 30, 1944) cotton shirt. Buttoned
up rather than the earlier pullover
placket-style shirt, it had an attached
collar, six or seven buttons (according
to length), single buttons at the cuffs,
shoulder straps let in at the shoulder
seam and buttoned at the collar end,
and two breast patch pockets with
buttoned flap. The flaps were straight
across with the bottom corners clipped
at 45 degree angles.
The shoulder strap was about 2 inches
at the shoulder, drawn to a 1¼ inch
rounded point at the collar end. The
shoulder end was cross-stitched to the
shoulder for two inches. All buttons
were khaki, in a shade slightly darker
than the fabric. Initially, the shirts were
made of 8.2 ounce cotton; however, 6ounce was introduced in 1941 and 5ounce in early 1945.
When worn with the trousers of a Class
A uniform but without the jacket, this
also was the Class B uniform.
In 1949, the wartime khaki shirt was
replaced by a khaki (#1) shirt in 4-ounce
cotton broadcloth or a cotton/Dacron blend
without shoulder straps and with only one
breast pocket, on the left. It was developed
specifically to be worn under the service
dress uniform coat. It continued in use until
Army Green replaced olive drab uniforms.
This shirt would be worn with either
Class A or Class C uniforms. (Stateside
in 1941, some officers could be seen
still wearing the old white shirt.)
2. Worsted wool, identical in style to the
khaki cotton shirt, dark olive drab (#51
after March 30, 1944), the same shade
as the coat, drab (light) (#54) (pink), or
khaki (#1), worn with either the Class
A or Class C uniform.
When worn with the trousers of a class
A uniform but without the jacket, this
was the Class B uniform.
3. Flannel, olive drab (dark) (#50),
identical in style to the wool shirt but
made of a 40 percent wool and 60
percent cotton blend.
-38-
Two officers of the 86th Regiment, 10th Mountain
Division, 8 August 1945. “Pink” or chocolate OD shirt
for winter and kaki shirt for summer.
Trousers
Officers were required to possess dark
olive drab (#51) wool trousers. These were
worn with Class A and Class B uniform and
were required to be worn in the field. On
other occasions, they could wear drab (#54)
(pink) wool trousers. Either was of 18 ounce
wool serge. In addition to wool serge,
privately purchased trousers could be made
of worsted barathea, elastique, or whipcord,
with fabric weights varying from 14½ to 26
May 2011
ounce. Barathea is a hopsack twill weave
that has a lightly ribbed or pebbled weave
often used for men’s evening wear; elastique
is similar to cavalry twill.
The trousers had plain, unpleated fronts
and plain cuffs (without turn-ups), two rear
hip pockets, two side slash pockets, a watch
pocket to the front of the right hip, belt
loops, and a buttoned fly. They were lined
with white cotton duck. The March 30,
1944, amendment to regulations specified
that the trousers had wide belt loops and that
the hip pockets had buttoned flaps.
For summer, tropical, or garrison wear,
an officer could wear khaki (#1) wool
gabardine or cotton twill trousers otherwise
identical to the olive drab or pink trousers
(Class C).
Breeches. The March 1944 regulations
also addressed breeches, which were worn
by mounted officers in the cavalry or field
artillery. They were to match the service
coat in color (#51) and to be made of 14½ to
26 ounce wool serge, barathea, elastique, or
whipcord. They were to be cut,
“snug at the waist, top about 2 inches
above hip bone, full in the seat and loose in
the thigh, with sufficient length from waist
to knee to permit wearer to assume a
squatting position without binding at the
seat or knee, breeches to present an
appearance of fullness when standing; cut
tight for about 3 inches immediately below
the knee and easy for the balance of the
length so as not to bind the muscles of the
calf. To have strapping of the same material
or buckskin of similar color on the inside of
the leg at the knee, extending to a little
below the top of the boot and from 6 to 8
inches above the knee.”
Breeches also were made in light drab
(#54) (pink).
Gen. Montgomery is bid farewell by Lt. Gen. George
S. Patton, Jr. (28 Jul 43). Patton appears to be in
Class B uniform with breeches and lace-up-the-front
boots replacing trousers and shoes.
Belt for Trousers or Breeches. The belt
used with all trousers was made of khaki
(#1) or olive drab (#51) webbing, 1¼ inches
in width, with a brass tip and a detachable
polished brass solid, plain rectangular
buckle.
-39-
Footwear
Russet (reddish) brown leather laced,
ankle high shoes were worn with all
uniforms. Typically, they had seven rows of
lacing eyelets. Stateside, the shoes were
made smooth side out, with a toe cap and
either a black rubber sole and heel or a
leather sole and black rubber heel. Overseas,
the shoes were made rough side out, lacked
a toe cap, and had only the black rubber sole
and heel that, for added strength, had thin
white cords embedded.
Laced U.S. Army service shoes, 1945.
Breeches called for russet brown tall
boots (image far left).
Necktie
Until 1940, a plain black silk tie,
“without stripe or figure” according to
regulations, was worn with Class A and
Class B uniforms. In 1940, it was changed to
black wool, in November 1941 to either
black or khaki, and in September 1943, to
khaki #5 cotton mohair. The khaki cotton tie
was worn with Class C dress beginning in
May 2011
1939. Older ties continued to be worn until
stocks were exhausted, so officers could be
seen wearing either black or khaki ties
during the War.
In 1948, a dark olive drab (#51) cotton
mohair tie replaced the khaki one for Class
A and B uniforms. In turn, it was replaced in
May 1957 by the return of plain black, in
tropical worsted or similar woven fabric. All
personnel wore the tie tucked into the shirt,
between the third and fourth buttons.
Maj. Gen. George S. Patton, Jr., studying a map. Note
the method of tucking the tie into the shirt.
Coat
In the 1920s, the Army Air Corps
advocated for replacing the World War I era
uniform coat, which had a closed, standing
collar, with a less restrictive coat with an
open collar. It also sought to replace the
leather “Sam Browne” waist- and cross-belt
with a fabric waist-belt. These changes were
approved for Air Corps personnel in 1925.
The following year, the open-collared coat
was approved for the rest of the Army.
Body of the Coat. In the November 10,
1941, regulations, an officer’s Class A coat
was identical in style and cut to that for
enlisted men, with one exception (described
below).
The coat was made from 18-ounce
wool serge dark olive drab cloth (#51). It
was single-breasted with a notched collar
and lapel, cut “to fit easy over the chest and
shoulder and to be fitted slightly at the waist
to conform to the [wearer’s] figure so as to
prevent wrinkling or rolling under the
leather belt when worn,” according to the
regulations. The back was to have two side
pleats “not less than 3 inches in depth at
shoulder and to extend from shoulder seam
where it joins the armhole seam to
waistline.” The coat was to be buttoned with
four large regulation coat buttons (described
below), equally spaced. The lapels were to
cross “approximately 1¾ inches above the
top button.” The sleeves had plain cuffs,
without buttons.
The coat’s skirt was,
“to be full, with a slight flare, and to
extend 1 to 2 inches below the crotch,
according to the height of the wearer [i.e.,
about to the middle of the hand when the
arm falls naturally to the side], with a slit
in the back extending from the waistline to
the bottom of the skirt, following the back
seam with an underlap of approximately
2½ inches. The front overlapping left edge
-40-
Generalissimo and Madame Chiang Kai-shek with
Gen. l Stilwell. Stilwell is in Class A uniform with cloth
belt on the service coat. He is wearing a dark tie.
of coat to be cut with a pronounced flare to
the right from the bottom button to the
bottom of the skirt, so as to appear straight
from the lapel opening to the bottom of the
coat and to remain overlapped not less than
4 inches when in a standing position,
without the use of hooks and eyes, the
fullness necessary to accomplish this result
being over the hips.”
The lower pockets were slash pockets,
“hung inside the body of the skirt” and “to
be attached to the body of the skirt only at
the mouth.” They were covered by straight
flaps, the tops of which were to be slightly
below the waistline, buttoned at the center
with a small regulation button. This
treatment of the lower pockets was the only
design difference from the enlisted man’s
coat, which had patch pockets on the skirt in
place of the officer’s slit pockets.
Shoulder Straps. The coat had shoulder
straps, of the same material as the body of
May 2011
the coat, “let in at the sleeve head seam and
reaching to approximately ¾ inch beneath
the collar, buttoning at the collar edge with a
small regulation coat button.” The strap was
to be about 2½ inches wide at the shoulder
end, tapering to a rounded point about 1½
inches wide at the collar. At the shoulder the
strap was cross-stitched down for a distance
of about two inches.
summer coat (see below). Warrant officers
did not wear this braid. However, warrant
officers who served in the First World War
wore a similar band of forest green braid.
Coat Belt. For all arms and services
except the Army Air Force, the coat had a
metal hook let in to each side seam at the
waistline to support the officer’s leather
“Sam Browne” belt. (A “Sam Browne” belt
is a leather sword belt with a supporting
cross strap.
Named for its inventor, a British
general who had lost an arm, it enabled the
wearer to draw a sword with only one hand.)
The hook was to be of the same metal as the
belt hardware. The belt was about two
inches wide. It and the cross-belt were of
russet leather. The belt closed with a brass
rectangular buckle with two tongues. The
cross belt was attached to the belt at the left
front, crossed over the chest and right
shoulder (beneath that shoulder strap) and
fastened at the left rear of the belt. The
cross-belt had a brass single-tongued buckle
at about the center front of the coat to adjust
its length (about at the coat’s top button).
Army Air Force officers’ coats replaced
the leather belt and cross-belt with a cloth
belt made of the same material as the coat,
about two inches wide, sewn down along the
waistline with the coat’s bottom button
Gen. Douglas McArthur (1935) wearing a white shirt
and black tie (standard for Class A uniforms until
1938). His breast pockets are not pleated. Cross
strap of Sam Browne belt is highly polished.
Chevrons on sleeve are for service in the Great War.
slightly below the sewn-on belt. The belt
closed in front with a smooth brass
rectangular tongueless buckle.
In November 1942, the Air Force style
cloth belt was authorized for officers of all
arms and services. However, an officer
could continue to wear the leather belt and
cross-belt until June 1943, at which point the
cloth belt became mandatory.
Commissioned Officer’s Braid.
Commissioned officers wore a ½ inch wide
band of drab (#53) braid on each sleeve,
thee inches from the end of the sleeve on the
service coat, “Ike jacket,” flight jacket, and
-41-
Buttons. Except for officers of the
Corps of Engineers, buttons were brass,
slightly convex, carrying the Army insignia
of an eagle with spread wings, with a shield
on its chest. The shield has a plain upper
quarter; the lower three-quarters have 13
vertical stripes. The eagle holds four arrows
in its left talon and a sprig of laurel in its
right. The eagle’s head is turned to the right
and in its beak it carries a banner that
spreads above the wings. A 13-star glory
surrounded by a round wreath of clouds is
above the eagle’s head. The Engineers Corps
had its own buttons, which are not described
in this article.
1944 Modifications. The March 30,
1944, amendment removed the pleats from
the back of the coat, which now was to be
plain. It replaced the fourth (bottom) brass
button on the front of the coat with a fourhole 36-ligne button of bone, plastic, or
other suitable material of a color closely
approximating that of the coat,” which was
to be hidden by the belt.
It specified the belt as being 1¾ inches
in width with a mitered end. The buckle
continued to be a tongueless brass rectangle;
however, its corners now were rounded and
it had raised polished rims and “horizontally
lined background of gold colored metal ¼
inch in width.”
May 2011
in place by a cloth keeper 9/16-inch in
width.”
Summer Coat. The September 4, 1942,
amendment to regulations authorized a coat
for summer use that was somewhat different
in design and cut from the olive drab service
coat. It would be worn with the khaki (#1)
gabardine trousers. The summer coat was a
“single-breasted semiform-fitting sack coat,”
of khaki (#1) gabardine, “extending to the
crotch, with no pronounced flare or
waistline seams.”
Commissioned officers and qualified
warrant officers wore the same braid as on
the olive drab coat. The summer coat did not
include a belt and the bottom button
continued to be brass. Unlike the olive drab
coat, all buttons were to be removable.
In this post-war photo (note the black tie), Gen. Omar
Bradley is wearing the dark olive drab service coat as
modified by the 1944 regulations.
The belt could be either fully
detachable or “sewn down around the
waistline to a point approximately 2½ inches
from the front edge of the coat on each
side.” With a detachable belt, two ¼ inch
wide belt loops will be placed in the coat’s
side seams:
“The belt will cover the horizontal seam
at the waistline and the buckle will be
centered over the bottom button of the coat
[i.e., the 36-ligne one] when buttoned. The
mitered end of the belt will pass through the
buckle to the left, extend not more than 3
inches beyond the buckle, and may be held
M1944 “Ike Jacket.” The year 1944
also saw introduction
of a new waist-length
coat. Known as the
M1944, it was
popularly called the
“Eisenhower Jacket”
or “Ike Jacket,”
because General
Dwight D.
Eisenhower, the
European Theater’s
Supreme Allied
Commander, admired
the British Army’s battledress jacket and, in
1943, pressed for introduction of an
improved version for both field and garrison
-42-
Gen Brehon Somervell wears the summer uniform in
khaki gabardine. Note scalloped flaps and the pleats
of the chest pockets and the black tie. Chevrons on
sleeve denote World War I service.
use. In practice the Ike jacket was largely
reserved for garrison, dress, or walking-out.
Headgear
Headgear included caps, hats, and
helmets. Some headgear could be worn by
officers either overseas or stateside and
either in the garrison or in the field. Other
headgear could be worn only in the field,
only stateside, or both.
Service Cap: Intended to be worn
either overseas or stateside, primarily in
garrison, the service cap was circular, with a
band of dark olive drab (#51) braid, about 1
7/8 inches wide, around the entire cap.
May 2011
Above that band was a dark olive drab wool
serge or elastique crown of about 11¼
inches from front to back by 10½ inches
from side to side for a size 7 1/8 cap. The
cap had “two eyelets ½ inch from the welt
seam and about ¾ inch on each side of side
seam of quarters.” The front of the crown
was stiffened with springs; the rear was
without stiffening. The top was stiffened at
its rim with a flat grommet, 3/16 inch wide,
leaving the top “to be slack.”
Captain E. H. Lowe (left) in Class A service coat
(1943) Service cap has a head strap at the back as
well as a chin strap at the front. Photo shows slight
bulge in soft top of the cap and the angle of the peak.
The cap had a russet leather visor,
about 2 3/16 inches deep, sloped about 55
degrees from the vertical. It was lined with
“green hatters’ leather.” Above the peak was
a ¾ inch wide russet leather chinstrap, 9½
inches long, fastened to the cap with small
regulation cap buttons at the ends of the
visor.
A khaki (#1) cap cover could be placed
over the olive drab top for wear with the
summer or Class C uniforms.
For officers in the Army Air Force, the
“front spring
stiffening may
be omitted and
the grommet
may be
removed.” The
purpose was to
permit air
crew to wear
radio or
intercom headsets over the cap; however, the
style became known as the “50-mission
crush.” (An aircrew’s tour of duty was 25
missions, so a 50-mission crush looks like a
cap worn by an officer at the end of a
second, voluntary, tour. Statistically, a 25mission tour was estimated as providing a
50 percent chance of survival.)
flat fore-and-aft envelope with a crown with
an indented fore-and-aft fold and a curtain
with a diagonal flap on the left, without a
visor. It was made in dark olive drab (#51)
for use with the service uniform and in khaki
(#1) cotton mohair for use with the summer
or Class C uniforms.
The corners of the crown were rounded
slightly. The folds of the curtain and flap
were edged with piping, which was gold for
general officers, gold and black intermixed
for other commissioned officers, and silver
and black intermixed for warrant officers.
Until August 25, 1942, the same
regimental badge worn on the shoulder
straps was worn on the left front curtain,
except by officers in the Army Air Force,
who wore a miniature version of the service
In 1951, this cap was replaced by a
new service cap with a dark brown (#62) fur
felt crown, a soft roll grommet, a light drab
(#53) basket-weave braid, a russet visor
slanted 45 degrees, and matching 5/8 inch
wide russet leather chin strap (in front) and
buckled head strap (to the rear). Other
features of the cap remained unchanged.
This cap remained in use until Army Green
replaced olive drab.
Garrison or “Overseas” Cap.
Reintroduced in 1925 for use by Army Air
Corps pilots and for armored and
mechanized cavalry units in 1933, by
wartime, the garrison cap was authorized for
wear by all officers. It was intended for use
in the field (despite its name). The cap was a
-43-
Gen. Omar Bradley and parachute officers are in
Class A uniforms with pink trousers and garrison caps
instead of the service caps.
May 2011
cap insignia there; on that date, these
insignia were replaced by rank insignia.
Service Hat. Still in use in 1941 for use
in the field,
stateside only, was
the Model 1911
campaign hat from
the First World War
uniform. It was a
“Montana peak” hat
(like Smoky the
Bear’s), similar to
those used today by
male Army drill
instructors. The hat was of “beaver color”
felt, with a crown 5¼ inches tall, for a size 7
1/8 hat, and a three-inch brim, with either
three or five rows of stitching around the
brim. The hat had the peaks facing directly
fore-and-aft; each had a grommeted
ventilation hole. An officer’s hat had a 5/8
inch russet leather chin strap attached by
two grommeted holes toward the bottom of
each side peak. Stateside, officers of
armored and airborne units wore a garrison
cap in the field, not the campaign hat.
Outerwear
An officer’s outerwear included an
overcoat, a short overcoat, and a raincoat.
Overcoat. The overcoat (greatcoat) was
intended for either dress or field wear. In
dark olive drab (#51) wool, it was a,
“double-breasted ulster with convertible
style roll collar and notch lapel, lining of
same color as ulster; buttoned down the
front with a double row of large regulation
overcoat buttons [plain bone], three on
each side below the roll of the lapel with
the top buttons approximately 6½ to 7
inches apart; a button placed under the
right collar and a buttonhole at the top of
each lapel, one for use when the collar is
converted [i.e., closed across] and the
other for appearance; the lining slit and
fastened to pocket openings to allow the
hand to go through to pocket of breeches or
trousers; slit closed with a small [plain
bone] button and buttonhole. Back to be
plaited [pleated] and to have back straps
[i.e., cloth belt] let into the side seam at the
waistline, fastened together with two large
regulation buttons [i.e., like those on the
front of the coat] and buttonholes. Skirt not
longer than 10 inches or shorter than 3
inches below the knee; slit at the back
extending from the bottom of the back strap
[i.e., belt] to bottom of skirt and closing
with small concealed buttons and
buttonholes. The front corners [of the skirt]
to be provided with buttons and buttonholes
so that the corners may be turned back to
facilitate marching [like in the French
army].“
The long overcoat had two “outside
welted pockets, one on each side, with
vertical openings; the center of pocket about
opposite lower button and placed on a line
with front seam of sleeve.” It had shoulder
straps identical in size and shape to those on
the service coat, on which officers wore
their rank insignia. Cuffs were plain and did
not include the olive drab braid that
appeared on the service coat to distinguish
commissioned officers. However, general
officers had a double row of black braid,
-44-
“the lower band to be 1¼ inches in width
and about 2½ inches from the lower edge of
the sleeve, the other to be ½ inch in width
and 1½ inches above the lower band.” As
noted above, officers wore their shoulder
patch on the left shoulder of this overcoat.
The September 4, 1942, amendment to
regulations added “a 36-ligne button placed
inside the top left large regulation front
button for use in holding right front fly in
Bazooka commander in a overcoat of wool with roll
collar and brass buttons, 1945.
May 2011
place.” In 1946, a new overcoat replaced the
one worn during the War.
above the knee. Slit in the back extending
about 15 inches from the bottom.”
Use of the long overcoat in the field
was unpopular because it became heavy
when wet; the March 31, 1944, amendment
supplied a long field coat to replace it in the
field.
The coat had two flapped outside patch
pockets, one on each side, with the top of
the flap about level with the lowest button.
Shoulder straps were of the same shape as
those on the service coat; rank insignia were
worn on them. Like the overcoat, cuffs were
plain. General officers wore the same braid
as on the overcoat. Unlike the overcoat,
shoulder patches were not worn on this coat.
Short Overcoat. In dark olive drab
(#51) wool, the
short overcoat
was a “doublebreasted coat,
lined or
unlined, with a
shawl roll
collar
approximately
5 inches in
width, buttoned
down the front
with a double
row of large
regulation
[plain bone]
overcoat
buttons, three
on each side
Maj. Thomas M. Williams,
below the roll
Cmdr. 2018th Prisoner of War
Detachment, wearing Short
of collar with
Officer's M-1926 overcoat, an
additional
uncommon coat. Feb 1945.
buttons or
loops so that the coat can be buttoned to the
neck. A detachable belt of the same material
as coat, held in place with loops sewed at
side seams.” It had two plain bone buttons,
side by side. The skirt extended to “6 inches
The short overcoat was authorized for
use either in garrison or in the field.
However, officers could not wear it in
formation with enlisted men wearing the
(long) overcoat.
Gloves
For dress use, officers wore gloves of
light tan chamois leather or chamois color
material or, for more formal occasions,
white cotton or lisle gloves, buttoned at the
wrist. For service use they wore light russet
leather gloves, lined or unlined, with a snap
or buckle fastener at the wrist, or olive drab
knit wool gloves.
Bibliography
Carman, W.Y., FRA, FRHistS. A
Dictionary of Military Uniform. New York:
Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1977. ISBN: 0684-15130-8.
Cline, Ray S. Washington Command
Post: The Operations Division. United
On April 3, 1943, the short overcoat
was replaced by a new pattern. Very similar
to the original, the new short overcoat had a
notched collar and lacked a belt. Shoulder
patches were authorized for wear with the
April 1943 short overcoat.
Raincoat. Described merely as a
“waterproof coat of commercial pattern,
with shoulder loops [straps], as nearly as
possible olive-drab color,” this actually was
a belted trench coat that officers had to
purchase privately. The March 31, 1944,
amendment specified the color as olive drab
(#7). Normally, the raincoat was doublebreasted, with two rows of three or four
buttons each and one just below the collar to
close the coat top, and had slit side pockets
and a single vent at the back of the skirt.
Rank badges were worn on the shoulder
straps. No other insignia were worn.
-45-
LtGen. Omar Bradley and MGen J. Lawton Collins at
Cherbourg, June 1944. Note goggles, and M1911
pistol in a shoulder holster worn outside the raincoat.
May 2011
States Army in World War II, The War
Department, CMH Pub. 1-2. Washington,
DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1990.
Elting, Col. John R. and Michael J.
McAfee. Military Uniforms in America,
Volume IV: The Modern Era from 1868.
Novato, CA: Presidio Press for The
Company of Military Historians, 1988.
ISBN: 0-89141-292-1.
Katcher, Philip. The American Soldier:
U.S. Armies in Uniform, 1755 to the Present.
New York: Military Press, 1990. ISBN: 0517-01481-5.
________. The U.S. Army, 1941-45.
Osprey Men-at-Arms Series #70. London:
Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1984. ISBN: 085045-522-7.
Mollo, Andrew. The Armed Forces of
World War II: Uniforms, Insignia, and
Organization. New York: Crown Publishers,
Inc., 1981. ISBN: 0-517-54478-4.
________. Army Uniforms of World
War 2. Blandford Colour Series. Poole, UK:
Blandford Press, 1977. ISBN: 0-7137-06112.
________. Naval, Martine and Air
Force Uniforms of World War 2. Macmillan
Color Series. New York: Macmillan
Publishing Company, Inc., 1976. ISBN: 002-579391-8.
Millet, John D. The Organization and
Role of the Army Service Forces. United
States Army, The Army Service Forces,
CMH Pub 3-1. Washington, DC: Center of
Military Hiistory, United States Army, 1998.
Reynosa, Mark A. U.S. Combat
Helmets of the 20th Century: Mass
Production Helmets. A Schiffer Military
History Book. Atglen, PA: Schiffer
Publishing Ltd., 1997. ISBN: 0-7643-03570.
Rosignoli, Guido, Air Force Badges
and Insignia of World War 2: Great Britain,
Norway, Netherlands, U.S.S.R., Denmark,
France, Belgium, Yugoslavia, U.S.A., Italy,
China, Bulgaria, Germany, Czechoslovakia,
Finland, Poland, Japan, Rumania, Hungary.
Arco Color Series. New York: Arco
Publishing Company, Inc., 1977. ISBN: 0668-04252-4.
________. Army Badges and Insignia
of World War 2: U.S., Great Britain, Poland,
Belgium, Italy, U.S.S.R., Germany.
Macmillan Color Series. New York: The
Macmillan Company, 1972. No ISBN.
Rottman, Gordon. US Army Air Force:
2. Osprey Military Elite Series #51. London:
Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1994. ISBN: 15532-339-7.
Stanton, Shelby. U.S. Army Uniforms
of the Cold War, 1948-1973. Mechanicsburg,
PA: Stackpole Books, 1994. ISBN: 0-81171821-2.
Stewart, Richard W., Ed. The United
States Army in a Global Era, 1917-2003.
Washington, DC: Center of Military History,
United States Army, 2005.
-46-
United States Army Center of Military
History. Dwight David Eisenhower: The
Centennial. Washington, DC: United States
Army, 1990.
________. Omar Nelson Bradley: The
Centennial. Washington, DC: United States
Army, 1992.
U.S. Army Center of Military History:
www.history.army.mil/
Byron Connell a long-time SF fan, is a
historian by training. He likes to help at
masquerades rather than entering them –
entering once a decade is about right!
However, since being part of the Torcon
best-in-show entry, when he does enter, he
does so in the Master division. Byron has
run masquerades at several Costume-Cons
and Philcons, and directed the Anticipation
masquerade. He is a member of the Sick
Pups (the New Jersey-New York Costumers’
Guild), the SLUTs, (St. Louis Ubiquitous
Tailoring Society), and the Armed
Costumers’ Guild; that makes him an Armed
SLUT Puppy! Byron is a past President of
the International Costumers’ Guild, which
honored him with its 1996 Lifetime
Achievement Award. He likes hard SF,
alternate history, alternate worlds, and
fantasy (not necessarily in that order).
Editors Note
Byron Connell will continue his coverage
of WWII U.S. Army officers' uniforms with
articles in upcoming issues of VC on ranks and
insignias, and on field uniforms and accessories.
May 2011
Event Report
Ladies and
Gentlemen of
the 1860s
Conference
Lisa A. Ashton
Civil War era fashions were much in
evidence at a recent conference on 1860's
clothing. A costumer who specializes in the
period shares some highlights.
I attended the 17th annual "Ladies &
Gentlemen of the 1860's” conference in
Camp Hill, PA (very near Harrisburg and
Gettysburg). from March 3-6, 2011. The
conference, sponsored by the Genteel Arts
Academy, promotes learning about the
clothing and cultures of the 1860s Civil War
era.
how to "true" and "walk" a pattern, and also
learned how and why to use a french curve
to make my patterns much easier to use.
This is going to change the way I make
and store my patterns, since I mostly make
my own these days. Actually practicing the
techniques using a 1/3 scale 1860's bodice
pattern (which is what I've been doing for
months now) really engraved it into my
memory.
The second workshop on Thursday
afternoon was on “Making an Authentic
1860's sewing Chatelaine.” It taught the
technique of weaving silk ribbon through
5/8" metal rings, and making the little
accessories that go on it, just like the
I learned a lot in an intensely short
time, some of it at the workshops/seminars,
and some of it just from talking to other
attendees and a few of the dealers. The
instructors here really knew their topics, and
were fabulous speakers and teachers.
Day 1 (Thursday) was devoted to preconference workshops. I went to a morning
workshop about "Perfecting Your Patterns,"
where the leader actually had us learn to
make a perfect paper pattern out of a messy
muslin. I finally really learned and practiced
several authentic ones the instructor had for
display, and that we were actually allowed to
touch. The kit for the workshop was only
$16, and included everything except a
needle and thread.
The ribbon and ring weaving procedure
was easily learned in about 45 minutes (with
a few false starts for everyone) making up
the "belt" part of the chatelaine. Then we
spent time making the strawberry shaped
pincushion, and the square pillow shaped
needle holder. I found a very cute little bird
shaped sewing scissors at home, that I will
also tie on to it, although a mini scissors was
included in the kit. There are some other
wonderful little accessories that I may be
able to find, to add to my chatelaine. I am
looking forward to actually wearing it as
part of my costume. Since I now have a
photo of the original ones, they will also be
useful as documentation.
Both workshops were pretty
concentrated, and the speakers were
enthusiastic and extremely knowledgeable.
1860's Chatelaine, a sewing tool notion that could be
worn tied around the waist or around the shoulders.
-47-
ISSN 2153-9022
After wearing my newly-made day
dress to the chatelaine workshop, I was
happy just to wear street clothes to the
welcome reception. People were quite
friendly, and there were a few "ice-breaking"
sorts of questionnaires being passed around.
People were also really glad to see friends
from prior conferences, of course.
May 2011
Day 2 (Friday) was also devoted to
pre-conference workshops. My first was "I
Shall Endeavor to Write It Down-Researching the Civil War," and the speaker
was amazing. His name is Wayne Motts and
he is the Historian for the Local County
historical Society at Gettysburg. I think he
knows as much or more about Civil War as
anyone.
Wayne talked about researching in a
way that really made it personal. He went
around the room (there were maybe 15 or 20
people attending this) and wrote down all of
our names and what we were particularly
interested in researching about the period.
For me, of course, that was two fold: both
about Sullivan and Sarah Ballou, and
finding out more about my vintage photos
and artifacts that I collect from flea markets.
I never realized that doing historical
research involved following up so many
sources to uncover a primary source.
Friday afternoon was full of interest.
First, their Marketplace opened, and I was
able to talk to someone who does traditional
forms of hair jewelry. She was very
interested in a piece someone bought for me,
and also in the two pieces that I acquired last
summer at the flea market. They are even
more precious to me now that I know how to
outfit and wear the piece that someone
bought for me. It's missing the fob or charm,
but I have the perfect piece for it that I
inherited from my mother's jewelry and
never knew what it was (a gold weight with
engraving on the bottom).
I bought some hard-to-find patterns for
headpieces, another pair of stockings, and a
decent historical pattern for the coat, or
paletot, that is right for the period. I also
bought a new chemise pattern that I like
much better than the chemise I have, so that
will look better-made too!
That evening, the conference officially
started with a talk about patriotism of the
time, and how is manifested itself. I skipped
another talk about "Living History and
Reenacting" since I'm not so much into that,
and I was very tired. It was a intense first
two days.
I found several inexpensive books, as
well. One I bought as a pictorial overview of
the fashions and accessories of the period,
and another (all photos) because there was
one of an 1862 woman in it, that looked
exactly like the dress I made to portray
Sarah Ballou. I mean, it could have been me,
in that photo. Eerie.
Day 3 (Saturday) was the start of the
more "academic" program.There were two
parallel tracks of lectures. I chose the one
that was more about culture and dress. There
were also exhibits of actual original dresses
and other clothing articles. I spent some time
in there and we were actually allowed to
photograph things!
My final workshop on Friday was
called "Identifying Victorian Jewelry." The
woman who spoke had an amazing
knowledge of the subject, and she brought
several hundred various pieces of jewelry
that were laid out and we were allowed to
pick up and examine!!! She had everything
from earring with tiny photographs inside to
patriotic brooches, to mosaic work, to "lava
cameos" to fakes of the period and later.
The exhibit included chemises with
lots of hand whitework (gorgeous), bonnets,
and children's clothes. The authentic
chemises of the period were astounding for
the fine white-on-white needlework in the
chemises--interesting, if there are tucks, they
are vertical and on the yoke, not on the body
or hem area of the garment, as we are so
used to seeing for decorative elements.
I also found out, that the larger of my
hair brooches (the ones with the missing part
of the clasp) probably dates to as early as
1850 (which was fantastic), and the smaller
one is clearly 1860's. It was informative and
especially wonderful to be able to look at
many pieces very closely, and really start to
understand how to look at pieces when I am
considering buying them so I'll know what
and when they are.
Ballgown bodice from the 1860's, one of the displays
brought by attendees. with handmade lace insertions
-48-
May 2011
The first talk on Saturday was about
"transforming" or "convertible" dresses--i.e.
adding a fichu or pelerine or bertha, or even
a second matching bodice, to make the outfit
do double duty and be a different look. We
all do this now, and they did it then too. The
second talk was about the quilt collection at
the Museum of the Confederacy. Being a
quilter myself, it was quite fascinating. They
have several quilts there that were actually
made by the First Lady, wife of Jefferson
Davis. Some of the quilts have a very
interesting provenance.
For the most part, everyone wore
regular clothes to attend the workshops and
lectures. My wearing an 1860's day dress to
a workshop was unusual, but fun. The
opening of the main lectures was punctuated
by a presentation where all the speakers and
workshop leaders had been sent a package
of fabric in advance with the instructions to,
"Make a dress of the period.” It was
interesting to see each speaker present their
dress (the men are sent Vest fabric), and how
different they were and what the similarities
were as well.
While I was listening to the talks, I was
making a collar and cuffs for the bodice I
planned to wear that evening to the dinner
and ball. I was able to get them done with
the little bit of lace sewn into the seam, and I
tacked them on when I went back to the
room. I skipped the afternoon talks – I am
never good at sitting through that stuff all
day, even at a professional conference.
women dressed in 1860's dress and oh my!
what dresses they were--not all ball dresses,
so I needn’t have been intimidated, but they
were quite wonderful, colorful and feminine.
Day 4 (Sunday) had two talks. I stayed
for the first talk about the Industrial Age,
when they started to make crinolines and
hoops and corset bones out of steel, and they
first made machine printed fabrics. I found it
both interesting and useful. The whole
weekend had been really intense, so I
decided to call it a day after that.
Next year, the conference will run from
March 1-4 in Harrisburg Pennsylvania. See
the Genteel Arts Academy web site for
details. I'm already thinking about attending
– that is, if I recover from this year's
conference by then!
The new bodice (a red and grey plaid
wool--very fine, light, and soft) is very
tailored, with the points in the front and the
"swallowtail" back. I'm really proud of the
piping on it (piping all those points was
challenging). It fit perfectly, and has some of
my vintage glass buttons on it. It was a good
choice, although very different from what
else I saw. It has essentially no decoration to
it. I wore it with the pale grey wool skirt.
Everything fit and went together well.
The ball and dinner were quite nice.
There was assigned table seating for the
dinner, which is a Victorian custom, and it
was really easy to talk to my table
companions. The dinner itself was nothing
special, but the reception!! Almost all the
-49-
Lisa A. Ashton is a Science Fiction &
Fantasy and historical costumer who
started costuming after attending Noreascon
in 1989. Over 20 years later, she is still
trying to design and build that perfect
costume that will make people gasp in
wonder. Other passions include beading,
hunting, stamp collecting, gardening and
canning, and collecting authentic Victorian
photographs to study fashion history. As a
Physician Assistant in Emergency Medicine
for the last 25 years, she has had many
opportunities to hone her sewing skills on
her patients. Lisa is Program Director for
Costume-Cons 29 and 30. Visit her web site
(still under construction). Her article,
“Sullivan Ballou's Farewell,” appears in
this issue.
May 2011
Virtual Soapbox
Buttons: Small
Markers of History
and Fashion
Sadie Jackman
Buttons are an important element of
both military uniforms and civilian wear. A
button collector explains why holding either
type of vintage button is like holding history
in the palm of your hand.
The origin of attaching the first button
to clothing is lost to history but it is assumed
that early man held his furs and cloaks
together with fragments of bone or bark and
a twist of vine or animal gut. Warmth and
maybe modesty would have been the
motivators of invention.
There are surviving records from a
French button maker’s guild in 1250 AD
that confirm buttons as an important
commercial product with a high degree of
artistry. The natural materials of bone, wood
and shell were augmented with metals.
Royal decrees dictated the styles that
could be worn by the under-classes. Only
royalty and the very wealthy were allowed
the fancy, finely crafted or jeweled buttons.
As buttons became more important as
ornaments, they were inevitably elevated to
symbols of rank or affluence.
The merely wealthy copied the styles
of the French court. King Francis I reigned
from 1515–1547 and was considered the
first Renaissance monarch. His patronage of
grand art and fashion contributed to France’s
being the center of the world’s button
makers. He is reputed to have had a formal
costume adorned with 13,600 buttons that
would have resembled a mirrored ball under
lights.
In the last half of the eighteenth
century, Louis XIV was famous for a button
buying habit which, along with four wars
and the new palace at Versailles, ultimately
cost France over five million dollars,
thereby draining the national treasury. The
court favored gold buttons embellished with
precious stones.
Gentlemen also commissioned the
most famous
artists of the day
to paint their
mistresses’
portraits, as well
as their horses
or hunting dogs,
on ivory under
glass with
Hand-painted portrait on
diamond or
vegetable ivory under glass.
paste borders.
The fashionable competed to sport the most
costly and unique sets of buttons.
-50-
ISSN 2153-9022
The most ornate and flamboyant
buttons of this period were mainly worn by
men, but women wore them too. Large
diamond buttons (circa 1770s), previously
owned by Catherine the Great of Russia,
were offered at auction in London within the
past decade.
Jewelers in Eastern Europe were also
busily employed
creating intricate
buttons with pearls
and jewels. The
most ornate are
today referred to as
“Hungarian jewels.”
Austro-Hugarian 19th C.
Many examples of
silver and vermeil button.
this 17th and 18th
century artistry survive to the delight of
modern collectors.
Reminiscent of the artists and jewelers
of the 18th century, Jean Schlumberger,
famous for his jewelry creations for Tiffany,
began his career as a button maker for
French designer Elsa Schiaparelli. He came
up with the concept of realistic shapes for
buttons in the 1930s. The 18K gold trapeze
artists for her silk circus print suits were an
innovative example. This whimsical concept
is credited as the inspiration for millions of
cheaply manufactured, realistically shaped
plastic buttons at the same time. These are
sought by collectors today and referred to as
“Goofies.” Finding complete sets can be
May 2011
difficult because most were lost to the tip of
a hot iron or wringer washing machine.
Some of the small buttons, markers of
history that you can hold in your hand, are
reminders of more serious events. During
the 1940s, a shortage of metal forced the
United States military to turn to plastic for
the manufacture of its uniform buttons. This
simple change freed tons of metal for use in
weapons.
“jet” but only the color is the same. Real jet
buttons or jewelry from that period are rare.
Scarcity is the criteria of value for any
collectible, so a beautiful, intricately molded
glass button that is more than a hundred
years old can still be worth less than a dollar.
Many of the small pictorial metals buttons
from the same time period also sell for small
amounts.
Five different late WWII plastic military buttons, including two different Navy, a USMC, an Army, and a Army WAC.
In Eastern Europe, their military faced
the same problem, and their government
turned to the glass makers of Bohemia.
Uniform and military buttons are a large
category of button collecting and the values
vary from extremes of one dollar to
thousands.
One of the most available sources for
today’s collector is the button crazed
Victorian era. Many dresses or jackets
required twenty-four buttons or more for
closure and many more used as trim or
ornamentation. Hundreds of thousands of
these examples survive in all price ranges.
Black glass is one of the most common
materials, due to Queen Victorian’s extended
mourning period. It is often referred to as
These buttons are a special type,
designated as “Victorian Jewels” or “Gay
‘90s” (circa 1890s). They are recognized by
the large percentage of the surface design
dominated by the faux jewel and the
distinctive long sturdy shank on the back.
They were normally used on heavy fabrics
because of their weight and size. It’s easy to
envision these on a lush velvet or brocade
opera cape or fur coat.
Buttons of each era are as distinctive as
the fabrics and silhouettes of the fashions.
Many designers and crafters favor
vintage buttons for use in costume repair,
jewelry and fashion design. Many quilters,
knitters and wearable artists also seek out
older buttons because the quality and
craftsmanship are superior to modern ones.
Today, buttons are utilitarian items,
protecting us from exposure or keeping the
weather at bay. However, these small pieces
of shape and color are one of the most
collected items in the world. The hobby was
officially organized in 1938 when clubs
formed to share enthusiasm and information.
There are hundreds of groups defined
as city, state, or national. Each state has one
or two shows or conventions each year and
the national society hosts an annual
convention each August with vendors and
shoppers from all states and several
European countries. Visit the National
Button Society web site for a club near you.
Costumers will enjoy reading the
magazine that is included with membership
in the National Button Society. It is a solid
investment for the calendar of events alone,
but each issue also has well researched,
colorful articles on buttons and their history.
There are also advertisements for books,
auctions and buttons for sale.
Sadie Jackman is a button collector
and President of the Texas State Button
Society. For more information, you can
contact her at [email protected].
Victorian Jewels buttons.
-51-
May 2011
Short Subjects
Full Metal Corset
A History Chanel program highlights
women who secretly served in the Civil War.
In “Full Metal Corset: Secret Soldiers
of the Civil War” (2007) ,
The History Channel,
tells the story of the
hundreds of women who
secretly fought in the
Civil War. The program
follows two female
soldiers--Sarah Emma
Edmonds, who fought for
the Union and and Loreta Janeta Velazquez,
who fought for the confederacy.
The program uses numerous battle
field reenactments, intercut with narrative
and dramatization using two actresses to
portray Edmonds and Velazquez. In the
process, the program shows a number of
types of Civil War uniforms, battle field
scenes, and sequences of Edmonds and
Velazquez transforming themselves into
male soldiers. Edmonds wants to escape a
forced marriage arranged by her
domineering father, while Velazquez wants
to follow after her officer husband and find
adventure and freedom as a male in a male
world.
Both women survived the war and later
wrote memoirs of their experiences, and
here is where things take a dubious turn.
Both memoirs appear to be highly
exaggerated and fictitious, and the entire
program seems to be based primarily on
those "novels," while even admitting that
they were suspect near the end of the
program.
Despite this flaw, the program shows a
number of Civil War uniforms, and provides
an interesting glimpse into how easily the
society of the time accepted the clothing the
women wore as proof of their masculinity,
despite indications that they were not what
they seemed.
The GreenShows
Fashions
A “green” fashion show highlights ideas for
recycling material into elegant attire.
Gloria Dawson of “The Daily Green”
reports that The GreenShows models strutted
their stuff for the second season this April,
showing off the best in sustainable, recycled.
The events were held at a new yet-to-be
inhabited eco-friendly apartment building in
New York City's East Village.
Newspapers and laundry bags rustled
down the runway, along with old sweatshirts
and baseball jackets repurposed into gowns
as The GreenShows opened with a showcase
of Gary Harvey's recycled clothing designs.
-52-
ISSN 2153-9022
The collection was designed to
challenge
people's
perception of
secondhand
clothing.
Harvey was
previously
creative
director of
Levi Strauss
and Dockers
The GreenShows sponsor, natural Europe. He
beauty company Weleda and its
believes too
Skin Food lotion, was honored in
many
this creation made from product
garments end
packaging. Photo: Gloria
Dawson / The Daily Green.
up in landfill
sites at the end of a season because they are
deemed aesthetically redundant.
Can a new “green” masquerade
category be far behind?
Costume Drawings by
David Hunter Strother
West Virginia Regional History Collection
offers drawing by famous artist/ illustrator.
At the time of the Civil War, one of the
nation's premier art journals
described David Hunter
Strother as "one of the best
draughtsman this country
possesses".
May 2011
Strother was a regular contributor to
Harper's Monthly, where he illustrated
travelogues on New England, the Dismal
Swamp, and a winter season in the South.
After he passed away in 1888, his
name and work might have faded with time,
but instead, he lives on in the West Virginia
Libraries' excellent on-line collection of his
work.
The collection contains 730
illustrations and sketches created by
Strother. Visitors will find revealing images
of Americans from the late 1800's at work,
play, and during the war among their
number, a boon for costumers trying to
locate authentic illustrations of children and
"characters" as well as the usual portrait
subjects.
Learn more about this fascinating
collection of images at their web site:
http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/wvconline/strother.htm.
Royal Military Uniforms
Royal spectacles offer unprecedented
opportunities to study dress uniforms.
With the recent marriage of Prince
William of Great
Britain to Kate
Middleton, with its
pageantry and
military parades,
costumers will be
reminded that royal
ceremonial events
are excellent
HRH Prince William of Great
sources to study
Britain at his wedding.
dress and royal military uniforms. Whether
gathering material to recreate one of these
spectacular uniforms, or just doing historical
research, costumers will find a wealth of
material in books, magazines, photo
archives, newsreels, and video recordings
made during both modern-day and historical
events.
Although the United Kingdom is the
best known and most studied monarchy in
western countries, a number of governments
throughout the world still have official
connections to their royal families and
observe ceremonial occasions like
weddings, coronations and funerals that
provide a wealth of images of military finery
represented at these occasions.
Parting Shot
A Military themed illustration links two
authors and their articles in this issue.
In addition to his illustrations for Role
Playing Games (RPGs), Larry Dixon also
illustrates book covers for his wife, author
Mercedes Lackey, and other fantasy authors.
One of the authors that Larry described
working with in an earlier article (see VC
volume 8, issue 4, page 34) is Lois
McMaster Bujold. Bujold is best know as
the author of the Vorkosigan series of
stories. Her protagonist is Miles Vorkosigan,
the eldest son of a nobleman of the planet
Barrayar in the series.
Costumer Christofer Bertani describes
how he created a military costume for Miles
Vorkosigan from a book illustration and the
-53-
sparse descriptions that Bujold is notorious
for offering her readers, in his article
“Vorkosigan Militaria,” which appears in
this issue.
One of the most unusual illustrations
that Larry
Dixon did
of the
character is
for the
cover of the
Young Miles
omnibus for
Baen
Books.
According
to Larry,
“Lois'
manicdepressive
space opera
protagonist
Miles Vorkosigan. Cover illustration for
has two
Young Miles omnibus by Larry Dixon.
sides to him
Image courtesy of Baen Books.
– on a good
day. It came to me that using a playing card
theme would be a great way to reflect the
Manic, enthusiastic and Depressive, somber
sides of Miles.” (A bit of trivia is that the
knife Miles is holding in the illustration used
to be his grandfather's.)
Larry also worked with Lois on the
GURPS RPG supplement based on her
books, but had to give up the project due to
illness and injury. According to Larry,
“She's a neat lady.”
May 2011
Upcoming Events
Calendar of Events
Anime North 2011
May 27-29, 2011
Toronto Congress Center
Toronto, Ontario CA
http://www.animenorth.com/
One of the 10 biggest anime conventions, includes
anime/manga costuming events, plus both skit and
costume Masquerades.
Phoenix Comic-Con 2011
May 26-29, 2011
Phoenix Convention Center and Hyatt Regency
Phoenix, Arizona USA
http://www.phoenixcomiccon.com/
Guests include Stan Lee and Billy Dee Williams (Star
Wars) Numerous panels on costuming, makeup,
effects, and cosplay, a costume doll contest, hall
costume contest, and a masquerade ball.
Baycon 2011
May 27-30, 2011
Hayatt Santa Clara
Santa Clara, California USA
http://baycon.org/2011
Philadelphia Comic-Con
June 17-19, 2011
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA
http://thecombatcon.com/
This convention features comic and other movie
industry events. Features many costumed events
including masquerade.
CombatCon
June 24-26, 2011
Las Vegas, Nevada USA
http://thecombatcon.com/
This convention and training symposium for stage
and screen martial artists and fight choreographers
also features a costume contest and fashion show.
Westercon 65
July 1-4, 2011
Fairmont Hotel
San Juse, California USA
http://www.westercon64.org/
This venerable sci-fi convention features a full
costume masquerade and numerous costumingrelated panels and tracks.
The SF Bay Area’s largest sci-fi and fantasy
convention, with 2,000+ members. Includes costume
panels, and a Masquerade.
Comic-Con International 2011
July 21-24, 2011
San Diego Convention Center
San Diego, California USA
http://www.comic-con.org/
FanimeCon 2011
May 27-30, 2011
San Jose Convention Center
San Jose, California USA
http://www.fanime.com/
World’s largest comic book convention with over
125,00 attendees. Masquerade attracted over 10,000
people, 43 entrants, and 150 costumes, with
presentation, workmanship, and industry awards. If it
isn’t sold out yet, get your tickets and hotel now!
One of the10 biggest anime conventions, includes
anime/manga costuming events, plus a costume
Masquerade.
Costume College 2011
July 29-August 1, 2011
Warner Center Marriott
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ISSN 2153-9022
Woodland Hills, California USA
http://www.costumecollege.org/
Three-day educational conference on all costuming
and clothing subjects, produced by Costumer's Guild
West. Didn’t inherit tickets? Try anyway: you might
get lucky!
Worldcon: Rennovation
August 17-21, 2011
Reno-Sparks Convention Center
Reno, Nevada USA
http://www.renovationsf.org/
The catwalk style Masquerade is rivaled only by the
Hugo Award Ceremony. This year's masquerade will
be run by the dynamic duo of Kevin Roche and Andy
Trembley.
CopperCon 31
September 2-5, 2011
Avondale, Arizona USA
http://www.casfs.org/cucon/
This regional sci-fi/fantasy convention features
vampires, werewolves and daemons. A costume
parade on Saturday night features prizes, and
includes a Gothic Masked Ball.
DragonCon
September 2-5, 2011
Atlanta, Georgia USA
http://www.renovationsf.org/
Multi-media popular culture convention on sci-fi,
fantasy, gaming, and comics. Features costuming
track, and a plethora of costuming contests.
Archon 35
September 30 – October 1, 2011
Doubletree Collinsville
St. Louis, Missouri USA
http://www.archonstl.org/35/
May 2011
This sci-fi and fantasy convention returns to
Collinsville with a full costume masquerade and
costume related panels.
SteamCon III
October 14-16, 2011
Hyatt Regency Bellevue
Bellevue Washington USA
http://www.steamcon.org/
A 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea themed event
.celebration and exploration of the briny deep as seen
through the imaginative eyes of Victorian science
fiction features costume events and a costume parade.
AlbaCon
October 21-30, 2011
Best Western Sovereign Hotel
Albany New York USA
http://www.albacon.org/
Weekend gathering of fans and creators of Fiction or
Fantasy. Includes hall costuming and a fantasy dance
and masquerade.
FaerieCon
November 4-6, 2011
Baltimore Marriott Hunt Valley Inn
Baltimore Maryland USA
http://www.faeriecon.com/
Celebrating the Magical Life, features the Good
Faeries & Bad Faeries Masquerade Ball with a
costume competition, hall costuming, and many
faerie related costuming panels.
Anime USA
November 18-20, 2011
Hyatt Regency
Arlington Virginia USA
http://www.animeusa.org/
Started by fans in 2004, this convention promotes
Japanese arts and popular culture. Includes a
Masquerade/cosplay competition, hall cosplay, and a
hall cosplay contest
Philcon 2011
November 18-20, 2011
Crowne Plaza Hotel
Cherry Hill, New Jersey USA
http://2011.philcon.org/
Hosted by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society,
features author Cory Dockorow and artist Boris
Vallejo, sci-fi costume panels, and a costume
masquerade.
Ongoing Events
Bay Area English Regency Society (BAERS)
Various San Francisco Bay Area locations
Numerous dance parties – see their schedule
http://www.baers.org/
Early 19 c. English Regency with dances from
English Country tradition. Second-Friday dance
parties, and fancy-dress balls throughout the year.
Period dress admired but not required.
th
Gaskell Occasional Dance Society
Scottish Rite Tempe
Oakland, California USA
http://www.gaskellball.com/
Members embellish garments with machine and hand
appliqué, patchwork, fabric painting and dyeing,
stenciling and stamping, machine and hand
embroidery, beading, and more.
Period Events and Entertainment Society
(PEERS)
Masonic Lodge of San Mateo,
San Mateo, California USA
Ongoing monthly period dance events
http://www.peers.org/
Sponsors events, classes, and living history
performances. Activities include historic dance,
drama, music, literature and costume. Period dress
admired but not required
Tech Shop
120 Independence Drive
Menlo Park, CA, USA
Ongoing classes monthly
http://www.techshop.ws/
Classes on the shop’s computerized embroidery,
industrial, and conventional sewing machines, and
serger. Also molding, vaccuforming, cutting, and
machining classes.
Victorian Ballroom dances with live music, and a
fancy Victorian dress ball. Semi-formal clothing
required. Period formal dress of the 19 th- 21st century
admired but not required.
Greater Bay Area Costumers’ Guild (GBACG)
Various San Francisco Bay Locations
Many themed events – see their schedule
http://www.gbacg.org/
For recreational costumers in the SF Bay Area.
Activities include workshops, costume salons, a
costuming academy and many costumed events.
Peninsula Wearable Arts Guild (PenWAG)
Campbell Community Center
Campbell, California USA
Second Saturday of each month
http://www.penwag.org/
-55-
Editors Note
Send calendar or ongoing costume-related
events to [email protected]. Include event
name, location, dates, URL, and brief description
highlighting costume-related activities.
May 2011

The Virtual Costumer - Silicon Web Costumers` Guild

Transcription

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