New York national guard Coates question

[Frank@hoboken]

Saw a 7th regiment ny national guard excelsior tunic. The brooks brothers label. The date was 1903. Now obviously it's way past the Civil War. But there's no chance these were still being mothballed Coats left over right. Any input would be appreciated.

[VolunteerArmoury]

It's a pattern made & used for a very long. The one I currently have is a 1941 dated one. I've had 1913 & late 18something dated ones over the years. I'm curious when they completely quit using them.

[ludwigh1980]

1903 would be the date of production. New York utilized many uniform styles with little changes spanning across two centuries. If I recall a few units even utilized revolutionary war style uniforms well into the 20th century.

If you are seeking civil war era garments it would be well advised to understand the details of how they were made. The main element is hand sewn button holes. Button hole machines had just been invented however did not see enough distribution to be utilized in the making of uniforms during the Civil War. Also while sewing machines were utilized and you will find machine stitched details on a civil war jacket, the stitching is often spread out and sort of inconsistent ( wavy or not uniform) . Liners will be hand stitched in. Even the textile fabric will be made of cloth that has varying thread widths. Textile manufacturing in the US was well established and better quality than home spun and loomed cloth, however it still had variances. Another detail I notice is that the thread utilized in civil war jacket especially in federal pieces will oxidize to brown. I don't think that is consistent with all pieces however I have noticed in shell jackets that I own and have examined.

[Frank@hoboken]

Is it safe to say post 1900 they began dating them lol. I wasn't looking per say. Just happened to see this coat. I've seen this type a few times. The brooks brothers post 1900. But people keep classifying it as civil war. It's dated on the label 1903.

[peterson45]

It's a pattern made & used for a very long. The one I currently have is a 1941 dated one. I've had 1913 & late 18something dated ones over the years. I'm curious when they completely quit using them.

My Grandfather served in the 7th (then the 107th infantry) in the 1950's and they were still wearing them. I believe they kept this pattern until the unit was almost completely disbanded and reorganized.