Bringing Civilization to the Frontier: The Role of Men's Coats in 1865 Virginia City, Montana Territory

Abstract

This study focuses on men's coats recovered from the steamboat Bertrand to determine what men of Virginia City, Montana Territory, wore and how the coats reflected the society in which they lived. Diaries, letters, merchant account and day books, and 137 men's coats were primary source materials. Content analysis of Virginia City photographs and museum artifacts indicates that the men of Virginia City, in their desire to obtain goods and services, cultural institutions, and social amenities familiar to them, made Virginia City a civilized city. The men's coats uncovered from the Bertrand reflected eastern fashion and social customs and played a role in bringing civilization to the Montana frontier.

One Woman’s Commodity Bag Garments Compared to Styles in Good Housekeeping, 1949 to 1968

“…Illustrations cannot show all construction details and evidence of wear such as alterations, while a few extant garments by themselves cannot provide an adequate representation of what was worn over a period of time. Meyer and Wilson (1998) further researched clothing in relation to publications when they examined 137 extant men's coats in the context of period photos, catalogs, and fashion advice, as well as recent retrospective fashion overviews. Their evaluation showed that though the coats were intended to be worn by men in a rural Montana mining camp, the coats adhered to clothing and social customs popular in the fashionable eastern United States at the time.…”

Constructing Knowledge for the Future

“…A cursory glance at scholarly articles published in such journals as Clothing & Textiles Research Journal (Meyer & Wilson, 1998), Dress (Gordon, 1992), Textile History (Andrade, 2004), and Fashion Theory (Steele, 1998) provides us with evidence that a new generation of research is emerging, using high levels of linkages and applications across disciplines with object-based research as a starting point. A cursory glance at scholarly articles published in such journals as Clothing & Textiles Research Journal (Meyer & Wilson, 1998), Dress (Gordon, 1992), Textile History (Andrade, 2004), and Fashion Theory (Steele, 1998) provides us with evidence that a new generation of research is emerging, using high levels of linkages and applications across disciplines with object-based research as a starting point.…”

“…Scholars of dress and textiles have employed this approach to creating knowledge in a variety of settings and using slightly different methods (Andrade, 2004;DeLong & Hegland 2002a, 2002bField, 2004;Gordon, 1992;Meyer & Wilson, 1998;Severa & Horswill, 1989;Welters, 2002). Researchers have carefully examined and questioned what can be learned through the comparative analysis of artifacts.…”

“…Material objects matter because they are complex and symbolic bundles of social, cultural, and individual meanings fused into something we can touch, see, and possess. A cursory glance at scholarly articles published in such journals as Clothing & Textiles Research Journal (Meyer & Wilson, 1998), Dress (Gordon, 1992), Textile History (Andrade, 2004), and Fashion Theory (Steele, 1998) provides us with evidence that a new generation of research is emerging, using high levels of linkages and applications across disciplines with object-based research as a starting point. Analysis through material culture has the potential for sophisticated, complex, and thought-provoking results.…”