A Cowboy's Working Clothes 1850-19002 Months' Pay for Hat and Boots |
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| The cowboys. of the American West have
been the subject of many films and novels, and, as a result, their lives
have been glamorized beyond all reality by Hollywood. Unlike his fictional
counterpart, the working cowboy of the late l9th century had to face a
hot sun and howling storms day after day. Therefore the clothes he wore
were designed to meet the demands of this rough life.
The fact that the average cowboy spent two months' wages on his boots and hat indicates the special importance he placed on these items. The standard cowboy hat had a wide brim and a tall crown, but many variations were possible on this basic model. Four styles were particularly popular: the sugarloaf sombrero, with its high crown to shade the intense sunlight; the plainsman, featuring a low crown that allowed the wearer to keep his hat in a strong wind; the Montana peak hat, like the one worn by Smoky the Bear; and the Texas hat, with a round crown and a star inlay. Most cowboys also had a preference about the kind of boots they wore. Their favorite styles had a high arch and a square, or slightly rounded, toe. Cowboys looked for a 1 inch-2 inch (3.8-5 cm.) heel, which enabled them to hold fast in the stirrup. Thin soles were also desirable, because they provided a more sensitive feel of the stirrup and better control of a horse. Most cowboys preferred spurs with a large rowel the spiked disk at the business end of the spur. They wore collarless shirts with no pockets, and they tied kerchiefs around their necks as a dust screen, sweatband, and all-purpose rag. Cowboys often wore vests, and in their vest pockets they stored cigarette papers, tobacco, and other small items. Their gloves, which protected their hands against rope burns and other hazards, were usually made of leather. Most cowboys wore a pair of chaps -loose-fitting leather breeches that covered the legs as an additional protective measure. All of these items have been transformed
into show pieces by the Western movies, but one item of authentic cowboy
clothing remains in much its original torm. In 1850 a man named Levi Strauss
moved out to San Francisco to set himselt up as a clothier, and soon he
produced his first pair of blue denim jcans studded with copper rivets.
These first "Levi's" proved an immediate success among cowboys in the West,
and a century later they continue to be sought after by men and women
in all the capitals of the world.
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