Abe Lincoln and Blue Jeans?

[riverratmess]

I heard from a re-enactor some time back that Abe Lincoln owned and enjoyed wearing blue jeans. This re-enactor told me Lincoln wore a pair of jeans that many of us wear today. Can anyone validate this for me?

[DixieLand1859]

Re: Abe Lincoln and Blue Jeans?

Searching the wonders of google I was able to find a quote that may be relevant to what you’re asking. I am not familiar with the source so I cannot comment on its reliability or accuracy, but I have included the quote as well as the source so your can make your own evaluation.

He was what was called in that western country a "rail-splitter." Indeed, one of the first things he did when he struck out for himself was to split four hundred rails for every yard of "blue jeans" necessary to make him a pair of trousers. From which it will be seen that work was easier to get than clothes.

http://www.mainlesson.com/display.ph...&story=lincoln

Hope this helps,

[Virginia Mescher]

Re: Abe Lincoln and Blue Jeans?

Searching the wonders of google I was able to find a quote that may be relevant to what you’re asking. I am not familiar with the source so I cannot comment on its reliability or accuracy, but I have included the quote as well as the source so your can make your own evaluation.



http://www.mainlesson.com/display.ph...&story=lincoln

Hope this helps,

Probably this quote refers to blue jean cloth, not blue cotton denim. Levi Strauss, the father of modern jeans, first made his trousers for the CA gold miners out of canvas. Later the rivets were added.

Jean cloth was a sturdy fabric used for trousers, with a twill weave having a cotton warp and a cotton or wool welf. It came in brown (unbleached), white (bleached), solid colors and stiped. Jean cloth was also identified as the location where it was made, ie. Kentucky jeans cloth. Jean was a fairly popular textile and in _Historic Accounts_ there were 442 sales of jean cloth and jean items. Jean drawers, which were drawers made of cotton jean, were also sold.

[Virginia Mescher]

Re: Abe Lincoln and Blue Jeans?

[QUOTE=DixieLand1859]Searching the wonders of google I was able to find a quote that may be relevant to what you’re asking. I am not familiar with the source so I cannot comment on its reliability or accuracy, but I have included the quote as well as the source so your can make your own evaluation.



Probably this quote refers to blue jean cloth, not blue cotton denim. Levi Strauss, the father of modern jeans, first made his trousers for the CA gold miners out of canvas. Later the rivets were added.

Jean cloth was a sturdy fabric used for trousers, with a twill weave having a cotton warp and a cotton or wool welf. It came in brown (unbleached), white (bleached), solid colors and stiped. Jean cloth was also identified as the location where it was made, ie. Kentucky jeans cloth. Jean was a fairly popular textile and in _Historic Accounts_ there were 442 sales of jean cloth and jean items. Jean drawers, which were drawers made of cotton jean, were also sold.

[Oldewalnut]

Re: Abe Lincoln and Blue Jeans? Material types

Or, I have some fabric samples from FHW. One of them is Cassimere, it defiinitely has a "bluejeans" appearence. Some period work trousers are being reproduced at this time that, on a glance have the same look. Reproduced material is out there.

Going back a bit further, here in Indiana, we had a unit that went to the Mexican War from the county I live in, Company E of the 3rd Indiana Regiment, they we called "the Brown County Blues", because they supposedly chose to have uniforms made from a "blue jeans material". This has been mentioned in numerous publications.

Blue jeans type material did exist. Just not the Levi's most of us wear today.

[CJDaley]

Re: Abe Lincoln and Blue Jeans?

[QUOTE=VIrginia Mescher]

Probably this quote refers to blue jean cloth, not blue cotton denim.

Why wouldn't it be made from denim? I would argue that denim was way more prevailant that jean in civilian circles and is found in many military garments as well including a jacket id'd to a USCT, a full suit id'd to a CS artillerist and linings in some state jackets.

[TeamsterPhil]

Re: Abe Lincoln and Blue Jeans?

Here is a link to the Levi Strauss Co.'s "History of Denim" page.

http://www.levistrauss.com/about/history/denim.htm

While not footnoted and with citations, it does seem to contradict some of the long standing "common knowledge" about jean & denim.

Phil Campbell

[Oldewalnut]

Re: Blue Jeans?

"While not footnoted and with citations, it does seem to contradict some of the long standing "common knowledge" about jean & denim."

Interesting link Phil. Now we will need to determine a "correct" type of denim. Boy if the Farbs get ahold of this, could be opening a real can of worms?

[Virginia Mescher]

Re: Blue Jeans?

"While not footnoted and with citations, it does seem to contradict some of the long standing "common knowledge" about jean & denim."

Interesting link Phil. Now we will need to determine a "correct" type of denim. Boy if the Farbs get ahold of this, could be opening a real can of worms?

I don't know if this will help or just confuse things.

According to _Scissors and Yardstick_ by C. M. Brown and C. L. Gates (1872),
denim is defined as, "a heavy, twilled cotton fabric, usually colored an indigo blue, but often brown. It is used principally for overalls, etc." Kentucky jean is defined as "a coarse, heavy cotton and wool fabric, twilled upon both sides. The face is covered with a coarse nap. It is not very expensive, but durable."

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: Abe Lincoln and Blue Jeans?

I This re-enactor told me Lincoln wore a pair of jeans that many of us wear today. Can anyone validate this for me?

Like everything from caps to locomotives, "the Dunguaire Coverall" has evolved over the last century and a half since Levi Strauss began making pants out of heavy sail cloth for "The Diggins". The pants produced by Levi Strauss wether white, brown, or blue, had high waists and belted backs, similar to what is found on Richmond depot trousers, well into the 1930s. Early Levis also featured three pockets, no belt loops-only suspender buttons. The style we would be most familiar with (501s), was not marketed until the mid 20th century, and even then are very different than what is on the market today. So to answer your question. "did Lincoln were blue jeans", he may very well have worn blue denim pants, but they would be totaly different in cut and construction to what is available today.

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: Abe Lincoln and Blue Jeans?

Why wouldn't it be made from denim? I would argue that denim was way more prevailant that jean in civilian circles and is found in many military garments

I totally agree!

[Virginia Mescher]

Re: Abe Lincoln and Blue Jeans?

Why wouldn't it be made from denim? I would argue that denim was way more prevailant that jean in civilian circles and is found in many military garments as well including a jacket id'd to a USCT, a full suit id'd to a CS artillerist and linings in some state jackets.

I'm not an expert on military clothing but have done extensive research on material culture and textiles. In my transcribed store ledger, _Historic Accounts_ (1859-1861), I checked the sales of the various types of fabrics.

There were 435 sales of yardages of jeans, which included all types - bleached, unbleached, and colored. There were no sales of denim in the total of 4093 sales of all types of fabrics. The fabrics sold ranged from osanburg to fine silks and lace.

Although the above store was located in VA, I have also researched northern stores. A store owner from IN, in 1852-1854) made 27 wholesale purchases of Kentucky jeans, Rhode Island jeans, Eagle jeans, and jean in blue, brown, buff, gray and green and striped. There was only one purchase of denim. The total fabric purchases were 525.

I'm in the process of transcribing additional ledgers but since I haven't finished I can't give any additional fabric totals.

[Vuhginyuh]

Re: Abe Lincoln and Blue Jeans?

I have a pair of naturally dyed deep indigo ''jean'' trousers that Charlie Childs made in 1985 and will post them as soon as possible.

The trousers in this image could be similar to those in question.

[hardtack1864]

Re: Abe Lincoln and Blue Jeans?

At the skillet licker web site there is some info about denim pants used by a raider in morgans raid and those pants are being reproduced too.

[Virginia Mescher]

Re: Abe Lincoln and Blue Jeans?

''Blue'' Jeans?

The blue refers to jean fabric made with blue dyed threads for the weft. It is not the same as what we know as "blue jeans".