Town and Country Sheeplined Coat

Posted on December 19, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281230598392
This vintage sheeplined coat was made in the 1930s under the Guiterman Bros. “Town and Country” label. The coat is made of green canvas, with a brown mouton shawl collar. As was common with coats of this style, it has loops instead of buttonholes. Usually these loops are made of corded material, but this one has higher quality leather loops. There are slash handwarmer pockets on the chest and flapped cargo pockets on the hips. The corners of the pockets have leather reinforcements. The coat is lined to the hip with sheepskin, and the sleeves have blanket linings and wool storm cuffs. The coat is belted.

A bit on the company’s history, from a piece I wrote for The Art of Vintage Leather Jackets / The Fedora Lounge: Guiterman Brothers was founded in 1883 and incorporated in 1904. They began using the Summit “Town & Country” name in 1904. In the early 1910s, Guiterman Brothers pioneered the attached soft collared shirt. They also called it the Summit. The company had a plant at 352 Silbey Street, St. Paul, MN, which still stands. They enjoyed prosperity during the 1910s, riding the Mackinaw boom of 1915. They were supposedly the first company to coin the name “windbreaker”. As shown above, their “Town and Country” Coats and vests shared the distinctive double snap Knit-Nek. During WWI, Guiterman Bros. produced flying coats for US aviators. In 1928-1929, the company was purchased by Gordon and Ferguson and continued production.

Chest (pit to pit): 22″ (doubled = 44″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 18″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 25-1/2″
Length: 39″

1930s Red Head Brand hunting coat

Posted on November 17, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281208719396
This vintage canvas hunting coat was made in the mid 1930s by Red Head brand, a premier maker of hunting and outdoorsman’s sportswear at the time. This one has a heavy canvas shell, with a corduroy collar and corduroy lined cuffs. The shoulders are reinforced. With a setup similar to an early 1920s Filson coat, https://vintagehaberdashers.com/2013/10/19/1910s-1920s-filson-canvas-jacket/, This coat has a double breast pocket (a small pocket overtop a larger one, which share the same flap). The hip pockets are double round patch pockets which share the same extra large flap. These pockets are leather reinforced. There is an internal game pocket, accessible from the back, or from the inside. The game pocket opens with an early bell-shaped Talon zipper, which helps date the coat. Buttons are Red Head branded. The coat was originally sold in Detroit by the Tool Shop Company.

Chest (pit to pit): 26″ (doubled = 52″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 22″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 24-1/2″
Length (base of collar to hem): 30″

Hunting and Fishing jacket

Posted on October 26, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271306401483
This vintage jacket was made in the 1940s under the WeatherBak label. This style was designed for hunters and fisherman, with space for every possible need. The canvas is advertised as “snag-pruf”, and the picture on the label of a hunter in the rain, along with the brand name reinforces the idea of water resistance which goes along whit this kind of tight, high quality canvas. Although canvas will get wet in the rain, the fibers swell with moisture, making a tight fabric even tighter, not allowing the water to actually pass through. I took some canvas gear on a canoe trip in Nova Scotia a year and a half ago. It rained the entire trip and my vintage canvas duffle was soaked, but everything inside remained dry.

The jacket has a short cut. There are pleated breast pockets, and wraparound double hip pockets. One has a divider with separate flaps, one has a single flap. There is a fly rod loop, a waist drawstring, pockets on each sleeve, and a roomy rear game pocket. There are two interior pockets. Room to fit everything you own! The underarms have open bottoms, an alternative to gussets for greater range of motion.

Chest (pit to pit): 23″
Shoulder to shoulder: 19″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 23″
Length: 21-1/2″

For a modern leather interpretation of this style, check out: http://fcancan.blogspot.com/2013/10/i-had-dream-part2.html

1940s snap front hunting vest

Posted on October 19, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271301558605
This vintage hunting vest was probably made in the 1930s or 1940s. Dating these vintage hunting vests can sometimes be a bit difficult without labels, as the designs followed what was practical rather than what was fashionable. I have seen other examples of this vest design, but all were like this, without label. It’s an unusual design, deviating from the standard “vest with loops on the front and maybe a belt on the back”. There are two pleated breast pockets, one with a snap closure, the other with a grommet. Instead of the usual button front, this one has snaps, but it goes one further by concealing them. Snaps are “United Carr”. There are closed bottomed canvas pockets for eighteen shotgun shells. The back of the vest has a large bellows game bag, with a waterproof lining.

Chest (pit to pit): 22″
Length: 25″

Green Hunting Vest

Posted on October 19, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281191411402
As someone who has been collecting and researching vintage hunting vests, this one strikes me as particularly interesting. It’s not as old as most of the ones I’m selling, probably dating from the 1960s, but it’s made in an earlier style. Although hunting vests were a purely functional garment and didn’t really change with fashion, certain details did change over time, largely with innovations in materials and hardware. By the time this vest was made, the closed bottomed canvas loops has largely been supplanted by elastic knit loops, which were easier and less expensive to construct, and lay flat when not in use. This vest has the older style loops, heavily reinforced at the bottoms. This vest is reinforced throughout with green textured naugahyde, making for extremely strong seams. Another unusual thing about this vest is its color. Most hunting vests of this type are in shades of brown canvas. This one is in a minty gray green with forest green trim. The vest has DOT snaps throughout, and a removable, vinyl lined game bag.

Chest (pit to pit): 21″
Length (with gamebag): 30″
Length (without gamebag): 22-1/4″

Western Field Hunting Vest

Posted on October 19, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281191393899
This hunting vest was sold by Montgomery Ward under their house brand “Western Field”. It is made of canvas, and has a rear external game bag, a plaid lining, and a serval zipper. There are two large bellows pockets on the front, and elasticized pockets for sixteen shotgun shells.

Chest (pit to pit): 24-1/2″ (doubled = 49″)
Length: 24″

1910s “The Gem” hunting vest

Posted on October 19, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271301060308
This vintage hunting vest was made by the Gem Shirt Company of Dayton, Ohio in the 1910s. The Gem Shirt Co. diversified into canvas hunting clothes in the early part of the 20th century, innovating the usage of lined waterproof game bags. They were a high end maker at the time, making their products from an excellent grade of cotton canvas duck. The vest has 32 closed bottomed reinforced corduroy shotgun shell pockets on the front of the vest. The corduroy material is somewhat unusual, a nice early detail. The back of the vest has a buckled belt, and a stitched-on tab added by the original owner, probably to hold his hunting license. The vest has a five button front, with metal buttons reading “The Gem”. The buttons attach via grommets and rings. The vest has a typically 1910s style yellow on black label.

Chest (pit to pit): 21″ (double = 42″)
Length: 18-1/2″

1911. “The Gem” trademark registered. Logo matches that on this vest.

1912 – Ad for The Gem hunting coats

1917 – Photo of “The Gem” hunting coat

1918. Guiterman Bros Town and Country vest, Gem Hunting Coat and a Springfield Rifle

1923. Gem Hunting Vests and coats. This is the last I can find on the company.

1930s Blue Bill hunting vest

Posted on October 19, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281191020912
This vintage vest was made in the 1930s by Red Head Brand under their Blue Bill label. In the 1940s, Blue Bill changed their logo, and began including the (R) symbol. It has closed bottomed canvas shotgun shell pockets, 38 on the front and 18 on the back, for a total of 56. The shotgun shells on the back take the place of the more traditional belted back. The vest has a five button front.

Also see, Red Head no. 1

and Red Head no. 2

Chest (pit to pit): 19″ (doubled = 38″)
Length: 18-1/2″

Unmarked Hunting Vest

Posted on October 19, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281191023485
This vintage hunting vest was made in the 1930s. It no longer bears a label, but it is typical of the products of some of the smaller companies making vests at that time. It has a high button stance, broadly cut shoulders, 32 shotgun shell pockets, a plain back and lightweight canvas, worn soft over the years.

Chest (pit to pit): 20″
Length: 17-3/4″

1910s / 1920s Filson canvas jacket

Posted on October 19, 2013 by Spencer Stewart

This vintage jacket was made by the C.C. Filson company of Seattle, Washington in the 1910s or early 1920s. It is in remarkably good condition- the best I’ve seen. The label bears their early 1011 First Avenue address. By 1924, Filson had re-located down the block to 1005 First Ave, then again in 1930 to 1001 2nd ave, updating their label accordingly each move. This conclusively dates from the 1910s or early 1920s. The label is of the early style, reading, “C.C. Filson Co / 1011 1st Ave / Seattle Wash / Manufacturers / Complete Outfitters / For Miners, Prospectors, Lumbermen”. At this time, Seattle was still the jumping-off-point for Alaska, and Filson advertised themselves as a “Complete Alaska Outfitter”. Later on, the “Might As Well Have The Best” slogan would come into usage.

The jacket is a heavy dry tin-cloth canvas. It has half-moon pockets on the front, leading to an internal unlined game-bag. Flaps on the back lead to this pocket as well. This creates a double thickness of high quality canvas throughout the coat, making for a durable garment. The collar is corduroy, and has a matching corduroy throat latch / chin strap. The shoulders are reinforced against wear when carrying loads. The hip pockets are of the early double-round style, and share a common pocket flap. The main breast pocket is similarly enormous, with a more regularly sized pocket overtop. The underarms have football gussets for a greater range of motion. The cuffs are lined with wool, and close with United Carr snaps. The snaps, both on the cuffs and the breast pocket, are of the early printed type, and still are very clear.

Chest (pit to pit): 21″
Shoulder to Shoulder: 17-1/2″
Sleeve (Shoulder to cuff): 24″
Length: 29″

Address up until 1923.

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Tag Archives: canvas

Town and Country Sheeplined Coat

1930s Red Head Brand hunting coat

Hunting and Fishing jacket

1940s snap front hunting vest

Green Hunting Vest

Western Field Hunting Vest

1910s “The Gem” hunting vest

1930s Blue Bill hunting vest

Unmarked Hunting Vest

1910s / 1920s Filson canvas jacket