Period short Vest

[OL Jack The Pirate]

Hello me Hearties

i been thinking of making a short vest, but would like to know if this was period or not , and would like to know if anyone has pattern to make one

Thankie

OL Jack

[Matusalem]

That is a valid question....one that I would care to join in asking because I have had the urge to purchase This jacket (F&I era).

Honestly, in spite of all the illustrations & and engravings I have seen of late 17th and early 18th century seamen, I question the practicality of a knee-legnth waistcoat while on board a ship, particularly in tropical climes. Not that sailors didn't wear them, but I always felt that a gold-trimmed silk brocade waistcoat with the fancy embroideries a la King Louis IV era seemed like wearing a business suit while working on a lobster boat. The Captain...a different story.

[OL Jack The Pirate]

Yes i seen that one too Matusalem, it would seem to fit a sailors outfit but i havent seen any pictures or engraving ether

[Misson]

Honestly, in  spite of all the illustrations & and engravings I have seen of late 17th and early 18th century seamen,  I question the practicality of a knee-legnth waistcoat while on board a ship, particularly in tropical climes.  Not that sailors didn't wear them, but I always felt that a gold-trimmed silk brocade waistcoat with the fancy embroideries a la King Louis IV era seemed like wearing a business suit while working  on a lobster boat.    The Captain...a different story.

Some random thoughts...

I get the impression from my reading that the sailor had only a few suits of clothes. Edward Barlow does mention having more than one in his trunk at one point, though. (However, he lost his trunk at least twice so far - once when captured by the Dutch and a second time when it was staved in and thrown overboard for reasons I don't recall. There may have been other times, but I haven't really been focusing on that.)

As for tropical clothing...I have the idea that the British may have valued form over function. Besides, if a man didn't want to wear his waistcoat because it was long and hot, would he spend what little he had to get a shorter one made or would he just not wear it at all?

Actually, he might sell his clothing when on shore - Barlow mentions this practice at least twice. I haven't got the quote handy, but he talks about a ship's purser bringing clothing with him on a voyage specifically so that he could give it to the men mid-voyage in lieu of their future pay at rather exorbitant rates. The men would then take it on shore and turn around and sell it so they could buy drink. I only recently read it and it went something like: the clothing cost 6-7 shillings (I think it was shillings) in England, the purser sold it for 8-10 shillings and the men could only get 4-5 shillings on shore.

On the topic of tropical clothing, I have an interesting quote in my notes from John Keevil's book Medicine and the Navy 1200-1900: Volume II – 1640-1714:

“Unfortunately the planning committee made no recommendations regarding tropical clothing, the customary seaman’s slops being supplied by the clothiers. Only when, on December 11, 1655, the Navy Commissioners had their attention drawn to the matter was a rig suited to a hot climate advocated…

They could not, however, undo all the harm which had long since resulted from the oversights of the planning committee, among which was a complete failure to deal with the clothing of the soldiers. The known association between the ragged and dirty clothing of newly pressed soldiers and typhus, together with Cromwell’s recognition of their endangering the health of ships’ companies, makes this omission so inexplicable that it appears more probable the recommendation was made but could not be acted upon.” (Keevil, p. 57-8)

(None of which helps you on the question of a short vest. Ask Michael Bagley - he knows an awful lot about this.)

[OL Jack The Pirate]

wow that was a lot of info there, but interesting

[michaelsbagley]

For more information...

Try this thread, Waistcoats

Or this thread, Sailor's Short Coat

Or this thread, Sailor's Short Coat

Or this one, Admirality Sailor's Slop Contracts

Or even this one, Common Sailor's Clothes

Or nto much here, but a little more, Weskits or Sailor's Short vests

Or from Plunder

Proper Waistcoats

Most of these threads have been lovingly pre-bundled by Patirck Hand on this thread, Clothing Thread Index (in Twill) ot this thread, Clothing Threads Index (in Plunder)

If the information you are looking for isn't in any of the above threads, it probably doesn't exist... And if you have any questions that aren't fully addressed in a particular thread, it is always more helpful to bump an old thread to expand that than start a new thread and fragment the information. Hope this helps