Notes from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum

As an example of the problems with the displays, this 19th century hat, as photographed in the "natural" light. What color is the hat?

This is its actual color, but that's still distorted by the reflections in the glass.

According to the museum, white shirts were popular with cowboys. This one has a turn down collar, as nearly all work shirts did, and the yoke is double thickness, making it good at keeping the wind out.

The "wild rag" is a good example, bright silk.

Here's a fairly typical work shirt, 3 button pullover, single pocket. This combination of earth tone stripes wouldn't show dirt nearly as quickly as the white one above. Methinks there were a lot more like this than white ones on cattle drives.

This red bib shirt has mother-of-pearl buttons. The bib is rectangular, with no point at the bottom. It has 8 buttons, 2 hidden by the collar. The 3 pearl buttons on the collar points are for decoration only. Bib shirts were very popular, especially a 6-button shirt sold by Sears. Photos of cowboys wearing it aren't hard to find. This one I haven't seen in a photo of a cowboy, though.

I've been preaching for years that work shirts had turn down collars. Photos of 19th century cowboys nearly always show turn down collars. But here's a shirt with a band collar---the caption, however, says this is a dress shirt and would be worn with a celluloid or paper collar. Heck of a dress shirt!

The hats get newer as you move to the right. The Plainsman lower left, the black Sombrero, bottom center,and the Boss of the Plains are 19th century. The Montana Peak lower center right was described as 1900 I believe, but they existed 19th century. The rest are 20th century hats.

This flat-brimmed, tall crowned
Stetson Sombrero was a type favored by rich Mexicans and some Texans. Captain John Hughes is seen wearing a similar type hat. This was the basis of several types of hats such as the Texas Tornado, the same block with a crease in the front of the crown and curl and dip added to the brim.

Another view of 19th century hats

By the 1890s, denim trousers had become part of the cowboy "uniform."

First choice of cowboy trousers was wool, at least before denim. It was preferred to canvas (duckins) or corduroy, but both were used.

Shotgun chaps. Batwings came later

Woolies were for cold weather and wild west show performers

Late 19th century campaign hat, with cavalry insignia

For those of you who believe John Ford knew anything about US Army uniforms during the Indian Wars, here is what the museum contends is an unauthorized officer's hat that was worn on the frontier. I can believe it. The issued hats of the time lasted until the first rain and were black to boot. An advantage to being on the front lines is that usually no senior officer is going to criticize your uniform. Were I portraying an Indian Wars cavalry captain, I would have an 8 x 10 of this hat to show to costume contest judges.

The US Army issued regulations for uniforms for Indian Scouts, including this black hat, red and white acorn-tipped hat braid, and Scout insignia