Clothing and Uniforms During the Revolutionary War · WIGS • Many men shaved off their hair, then went out and bought a wig! • The wealthy men bought wigs made of real human hair.

The Clothing and Uniforms During the Revolutionary War

You can tell a lot about a person from the clothes they wear…

• In the 1700’s you could tell immediately what a person may do for a living and whether a person was poor or rich.

What were most people wearing?

• Everyone wore shifts. These were long shirts that people slept in. Clothing was layered over the shift during the day.

• Men wore knee length pants called breeches, a waistcoat, and a coat.

Women wore tight corsets called stays.

These were usually made of metal

or bone and laced up the back.

Women were trying to make their waist look small. Another way to do this was to wear a pannier. This was a wire cage-like structure, attached to their hips.

• Two or three petticoats would also be put on.

• Wealthy women chose silks and satins for their skirt, imported from Europe and France. Less wealthy women wore homespun cloth.

• Every woman wore a mob cap. A mob cap was a circle of cotton on top of her hair that ranged in size.

• Upper-class women liked to have mounds of hair. Some even reached three feet in height!

• Everyone wanted to have gray or white hair. It was a sign of wisdom and age.

WIGS• Many men shaved off their hair, then went out and bought a

wig!

• The wealthy men bought wigs made of real human hair. The less wealthy bought wigs made from yak or goat hair. The very poor bought wigs made of thread.

• Some men believed buying someone’s hair was silly so they decided to grown their own hair long and tie it back.

• Once a week, the wig was sent out to be cleaned and styled.

Women’s Make-up

• Very pale skin was “in.”

• Rouge was dotted on the cheeks and lips. Rouge was made from dead bugs.

• Wealthy women wore masks when they were out in the sun to keep their faces from getting tan.

Macaroni’s

Yankee Doodle went to town…

A group of Londoners who were very rich. They spent all of their time getting dressed up. When Yankee Doodle stuck a feather in his cap he was trying to act like this group… A Macaroni.

A Smelly Problem

• Average people had only 2-3 sets of clothing.

• They wore the same thing almost everyday.

• Most people bathed only 2-3 times a year.

From Bright to Dull

Men started the Colonial period wearing bright colors. Reds, bright blues and yellows were common. As war drew closer, men started to wear browns, grays and olives.

American Soldiers

• Very little training.

– Only training that was done was through the militia that was called to serve only in emergencies.

– Called the Minutemen. Ready to take up arms at a minute’s notice.

• Many of the soldiers did not have uniforms.

• Many different kinds of weapons because each man brought his own.

British Soldiers

• Pretty and decorated uniform

• The coats were red with bright linings, lace and shiny buttons.

• Stiff collars made it difficult to move their heads and their hats had no brims to keep the sun out of their eyes.

• They were referred to as the Lobsterbacks and the Redcoats.