Two Centuries of Costume in America, Volume 1 (1620-1820) by Alice Morse Earle

Author:Alice Morse Earle [Earle, Alice Morse]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781511863704
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: CreateSpace Publishing
Published: 2015-04-23T00:00:00+00:00

Colonel William Legge.

Colonel William Legge.

Coats were not furnished to the Massachusetts or Plymouth planters, but those of Piscataquay in New Hampshire had "lined coats," which were simply doublets like all the rest.

In 1633 we find that Governor Winthrop had several dozen scarlet coats sent from England to "the Bay." The consigner wrote, "I could not find any Bridgwater cloth but Red; so all the coats sent are red lined with blew, and lace suitable; which red is the choise color of all." These coats of double thickness were evidently doublets.

The word "coat" in the earliest lists must often refer to a waistcoat. I infer this from the small cost of the garments, the small amount of stuff it took to make them, and because they were worn with "Vper coats"--upper coats. Raccoon-skin and deerskin coats were many; these were likewise waistcoats, and the first lace coats were also waistcoats. Robert Keayne of Boston had costly lace coats in 1640, which he wore with doublets--these likewise were waistcoats.

As years go on, the use of the word becomes constant. There were "moose-coats" of mooseskin. Josselyn says mooseskin made excellent coats for martial men. Then come papous coats and pappous coats. These I inferred--since they were used in Indian trading--were for pappooses' wear, pappoose being the Indian word for child. But I had a painful shock in finding in the Traders' Table of Values that "3 Pappous Skins equal 1 Beaver"--so I must not believe that pappoose here means Indian baby. Match-coats were originally of skins dressed with the fur on, shaped in a coat like the hunting-shirt. The "Duffield Match-coat" was made of duffels, a woollen stuff, in the same shape. Duffels was called match-cloth. The word "coat" here is not really an English word; it is matchigode, the Chippewa Indian name for this garment.

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