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  • Purple?

    How common would this color have been for male civilian clothing? I got a good deal on what sure looked like blue corduroy that sure looks purple now. For those of you "in the know" is this still acceptable to use?

    Thanks
    Phil Graf

    Can't some of our good friends send us some tobacco? We intend to "hang up our stockings." if they can't send tobacco, please send us the seed, and we will commence preparing the ground; for we mean to defend this place till h-ll freezes over, and then fight the Yankees on the ice.

    Private Co. A, Cook's Reg't, Galveston Island.

  • #2
    Re: Purple?

    Originally posted by tmdreb
    How common would this color have been for male civilian clothing?
    Purple was a VERY popular color. In was actually very popular in combination with other colors like baby blue or black. There was an account that I read years ago that had CS patients at Chimborazo who were issued sky blue pants and camp shoes. They dyed the shoes in mulberrys to turn the shoes purple to better go with the trowsers. I can only imagine these soldiers running around Richmond light blue pants and purple shoes...what a sight.

    Hope this answers your question, for more on color combos, check out any book from the library on period quilts/coverlets or hit some Godey's magazines.
    [COLOR="DarkRed"] [B][SIZE=2][FONT=Book Antiqua]Christopher J. Daley[/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]

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    • #3
      Re: Purple?

      Chris is quite right. Sometimes we tend to think of that period in black and white due to the photography of the times. Vibrant colors and patterns were very evident in mens fashions. The "ditto suit" was a matching coat, trousers and vest of the same pattern, quite the rage, but would be looked upon quite strangely if worn at the shopping mall today. As discussed in the old forum on a vest thread, vests were worn in contrasting colors and mixed and matched quite liberally with a suit of clothes.
      The color purple was quite common even more so in the custom of mourning, where it was one of the colors worn during one of the phases of that custom.
      Joseph Hofmann

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      • #4
        Re: Purple?

        One other note regarding vibrant colors was that there was a vibrant, pinkish color which came into vogue in the late 1850's. It drew its name from the famous battle in the second war of Italian indendence;

        The battle of Magenta
        Last edited by JerseySkilletLicker; 12-30-2003, 09:22 AM.
        Joseph Hofmann

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        • #5
          Re: Purple?

          That is exactly the confidence booster I needed. Thank you both for the information.
          Phil Graf

          Can't some of our good friends send us some tobacco? We intend to "hang up our stockings." if they can't send tobacco, please send us the seed, and we will commence preparing the ground; for we mean to defend this place till h-ll freezes over, and then fight the Yankees on the ice.

          Private Co. A, Cook's Reg't, Galveston Island.

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          • #6
            Re: Purple?

            Vests and suspenders and cravats, etc, in what we might call crazy colors and patterns, were very popular. Even colors we might think would NEVER go together were extremely popular with the Victorians (like green and orange or pink and gray). Karin Timour has some great insite into this - see also www.cornerclothiers.com with Brian Merrick and Kara Bartells. Lisa and Greg Pace have studied the color norms for years and love to make wild stuff.

            I will try to load a photo of Florida Home Guard soldier in civilian duds with what is likely a white silk vest with red or blue (or goodness knows what) color polka dots...
            Soli Deo Gloria
            Doug Cooper

            "The past is never dead. It's not even past." William Faulkner

            Please support the CWT at www.civilwar.org

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            • #7
              Re: Purple?

              Just to add to what's been said, I've come across a diary entry some time ago that talks about some women making a purple wool shirt for an officer, with a blue placket and collar. Right next to a reference to red wool flannel drawers, lined in yellow flannel!
              Marc A. Hermann
              Liberty Rifles.
              MOLLUS, New York Commandery.
              Oliver Tilden Camp No 26, SUVCW.


              In honor of Sgt. William H. Forrest, Co. K, 114th PA Vol. Infantry. Pvt. Emanuel Hermann, 45th PA Militia. Lt. George W. Hopkins & Capt. William K. Hopkins, Co. E, 7th PA Reserves. Pvt. Joseph A. Weckerly, 72nd PA Vol. Infantry (WIA June 29, 1862, d. March 23, 1866.) Pvt. Thomas Will, 21st PA Vol. Cavalry (WIA June 18, 1864, d. July 31, 1864.)

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