Purple?

[tmdreb]

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

[CJDaley]

Re: Purple?

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.

[JerseySkilletLicker]

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.

[JerseySkilletLicker]

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

[tmdreb]

Re: Purple?

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

[DougCooper]

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...

[FranklinGuardsNYSM]

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!