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19TH CENTURY BUCKSKIN TROUSERS – GREAT
FRONTIER APPEARANCE IN VERY GOOD CONDITION: The
kind of special items that are only found in very old
collections, this is the last of several pairs of 19th
Century Buckskin Trousers which were acquired long ago
and were salted away in the same old well established
collection for decades.
The private or commercial manufacture of buckskin
clothing such as coats, vests, and trousers dates back
to the early years of our nation’s history, and although
surprising to most collectors, the use of sewing
machines to produce this clothing began commensurate
with the introduction of those early time saving
machines. In addition to the clothing made by family
members for their personal use, and the clothing
produced in small shops throughout the frontier, there
were large firms in the eastern cities which were
dedicated to meeting the large demand for buckskin
clothing. Sales were brisk to frontiersmen, the
immigrant trains headed west, and soldiers and officers
alike in the army, for all of these consumers recognized
the comfortable, durable and protective qualities of
buckskin clothing.
Fashioned from buckskin, this pair of trousers was made
in a style consistent with buckskin clothing worn across
the American West during the 19th Century, and was
assembled with machine sewing, using cotton thread.
This pair shows evidence of having been worn outdoors in
the elements, and the light soiling and aging it
displays is commensurate with other examples of buckskin
clothing from the mid to late 19th Century. This pair
of trousers was not worn to destruction, they have not
been abused or stored improperly, and they present in
remarkably very good condition.
The soft buckskin was colored an even brown, was well
applied with an even tone overall, and the color remains
vivid in spite of the passage of time. The trousers are
trimmed with fringe down each side from just below the
waist down to the cuff, and the fringe continues around
the front of the bottom edge. The fringe is overall
soft and pliable, and the vast majority of the strands
are present and full length – both unusual qualities in
leather clothing of this vintage.
Measuring 25 ˝”along the inseam and with a
(approximately) 28” waist, these trousers present in
very good condition. The front opening is a typical 19TH
Century treatment of a falling flap which buttons along
to the top to the waist band. The drop front has a
center seam and during the period wearing of the
trousers this seam was opened for a length necessary to
create a fly for the convenience of the wearer. This
fly was secured with an added button and button hole,
but the button is now missing. The top of the drop
front is secured at the waist with 19TH
century bone buttons and the same buttons are set around
the waist band for attaching suspenders. There is a two
piece adjustment belt at the center rear of the waist
which was tied rather than having a buckle. This
adjustment belt broke during the period of use, and
appears to have been worn as is after it broke. This
belt could be restored if desired. The interior is
lined with a light weight tan polished cotton cloth from
the waist down both legs to just below the knees. The
lining shows a little wear, but it is overall intact.
The outside seam of both legs has been opened for the
lower 6” during the period of use, probably to allow the
legs to accommodate a boot top or to allow the legs to
be folded over before the wearer inserted his foot and
lower leg into a boot top. I have seen this sort of
modification in other pieces of frontier clothing and it
seems to have been a common practice.
The leather is generally soft and pliable in the context
of its age, with no hardening. There is a small (1/2”)
hole on the rear of the right leg behind the knee, and
two small holes high on the outside front edge of the
left leg. There are two holes at the top of the rear of
the waist which appear to have been intentionally cut,
perhaps to attach a primitive set of suspenders rather
than a finished pair which buttoned to the trousers.
None of these holes detract
from the display quality of these trousers and are all
quite minor faults considering the environment in which
they were worn.
In spite of having found several pairs in the same long
standing collection, these buckskin trousers are quite
scarce. This type of frontier clothing was worn in
extreme conditions, was often used to complete
destruction, survived in very low numbers, and seldom
does it appear on the collector’s market. These 19TH
Century Buckskin Trousers evoke any number of colorful
images associated with the American West and they would
be appropriate to display with a wide scope of Western
collections including frontier soldier, scout,
gunfighter, gambler, buffalo hunter and the like.
This pair of trousers would make a particularly dramatic
display when paired with any of the dark blue uniform
shirts or coats such as the Pattern 1883 Field Shirt or
any of the standard blouses, representative of the
combinations of uniform items and personal purchase
clothing known to have been worn in the field by the
frontier soldiers. Overall, this is a very nice pair of
19TH Century Frontier Buckskin Trousers in
very respectable condition. (0812)
$850
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