What is It?

[Matthew Semple]

I was looking through the Library of Congress Digital Collection and came across this image of Captain E. Clark of the 7th NYSM. What is he wearing? Is it a jacket or a sweater?

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/I?cwar:1026:./temp/~ammem_nRde::displayType=1:m856sd=cwpb:m856sf=05513:@@@

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Marc]

Re: What is It?

For my untrained eye it appears to be a linen jacket.

[J. Donaldson]

Re: What is It?

I find it interesting that he's posing in civilian sack for this image, while his frock and sword belt are posed on the chair beside him. Is this a conscious decision to signify some status as a citizen-soldier? It seems that it would be easier to pose for an image in the sack without the accoutrement of office in the image as well. Perhaps there is more symbolism here than just showing off an undress coat.

[CompanyWag]

Re: What is It?

It is a knit sack coat. The knit texture can be seen in the sleeve detail. Earlier someone had mentioned to me photos of the 7th NY wearing knit sack coats...evidently this is one of those images. I have no knowledge if these were state issued or privately procured. Interesting photo.

Paul McKee

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: What is It?

Hallo!

I tried cropping the image to show the "rib" detail but it will not upload to popst here.

If you open one of the higher resolution TIFF versions, you can see the rib detail on say the left arm.

Curt

[CompanyWag]

Re: What is It?

Perhaps this will help...

Paul McKee

[Matthew Semple]

Re: What is It?

Thanks to everyone who posted.

It looked so much like a sack coat but fell on him like it was a sweater. The long discussed and debated knit sack coat makes perfect sense for what is shown in the picture. I am glad I posted this. This photo answers so many questions I had always wondered about how a knit sack would fall on the body of the wearer differently than a wool flannel sack coat would.

I also think there may be a bit of symbolism in the photo due to his jacket over the chair. There is no firm date associated with the photo but it does seem to fall into the LOC catalog with the other studio photos that Mathew Brady did at the very end of the war. Perhaps Captain Clark is trying to show that he was done with the war and ready to get back to civilian life?

[GreencoatCross]

Re: What is It?

This is indeed a knit blouse, called "Aspinwalls" after the donor according to Don Troiani's "Regiments & Uniforms of the Civil War." If you look at other 7th NYSM images you can see a large number of them being worn around camp. There's a couple variations on this garment; color of trim, pockets, no pockets, trimmed and un-trimmed pockets, but they always show up as a light color (gray) and with similar buttons.

They are similar to the knit blouse worn by the soldier in Paul McKee's well-known image. Like the gray 7th NYSM examples, this knit blouse appears to have tube-knit sleeves without vented cuffs, trim on the edges of the garment/cuffs, and an exterior breast pocket. I made one of these several years ago using a thick rib-knit mixed dark gray wool. The hardest part about assembly was the trim, and it was one of the most comfortable garments I had in my closet.

[RyanBWeddle]

Re: What is It?

This is indeed a knit blouse, called "Aspinwalls" after the donor according to Don Troiani's "Regiments & Uniforms of the Civil War." If you look at other 7th NYSM images you can see a large number of them being worn around camp. There's a couple variations on this garment; color of trim, pockets, no pockets, trimmed and un-trimmed pockets, but they always show up as a light color (gray) and with similar buttons.

They are similar to the knit blouse worn by the soldier in Paul McKee's well-known image. Like the gray 7th NYSM examples, this knit blouse appears to have tube-knit sleeves without vented cuffs, trim on the edges of the garment/cuffs, and an exterior breast pocket. I made one of these several years ago using a thick rib-knit mixed dark gray wool. The hardest part about assembly was the trim, and it was one of the most comfortable garments I had in my closet.

Grey knit worsted woolen blouses.

Brian is right, they were a privately donated item to the Regiment while they were stationed at Camp Cameron in 1861 by a rich New York merchant by the name of Aspinwall. I've never in my research found out where he procured them from, likely a Manhattan manufacturer that had them either on hand or very rapidly made as they were seen in photos in early May in Washington and the regiment had only departed the city on April 19th.

They were to be used for fatigue duty, just like a standard issue four-button.

I have several additional original images of them being used in the field and drill formation, had planned to write an article for CMH on them, but never got around to it. The photo linked above of Emmons Clark does indeed show great detail of the material, etc. And to answer question above, this photo of Clark was taken in May 1861.

They are a garment which is just relavent to that time period of a few short weeks while the regiment was at Camp Cameron as they don't apear to have been worn again on subsequent deployments of the Seventh to Baltimore, Frederick, etc.