http://www.ebay.com/itm/272043311909
Chest (pit to pit): 26″ (doubled = 52″)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/272043311909
Chest (pit to pit): 26″ (doubled = 52″)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/401015366604
This vintage sheeplined work vest was made in the late 1930s-early 1940s. It has a cotton shell, a high buttoning closure and is lined with warm sheepskin.
Chest (pit to pit): 21″(doubled = 42″)
Length (base of collar to hem): 22″
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281655706660
This vintage jacket was made in Milwaukee, Wisconsin by Fried Ostermann between 1936 and 1938 under the Albert Richard Sportswear label. The jacket is made of front quarter horsehide leather, with mouton panels and collar. Originally sold as a “Laskinlamb jacket”, this style has come to be known by collectors as the Grizzly. These were popular in the mid to late 1930. The jacket has Albert Richard’s patented Tu-Length cuffs, which have buttons on either side, allowing them to be worn down for a longer sleeve or turned up and buttoned for a shorter sleeve length. The jacket has a Talon main zipper with a grommet style stopbox. The slider is of the deco sunburst design with oval slider-to-puller connection, which was only produced in the mid 1930s and which was replaced by a simpler design around 1938. The pull is a rectangular holed, plain backed version, also typical of mid 1930s production. The jacket is lined with plaid wool, with leather pit guards and ventilation grommets. The sleeves have knit storm cuffs to keep out the wind. The collar has a buttoned chinstrap throat latch to cinch it up tight in bad weather.
Chest (pit to pit): 20″ (doubled = 40″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 17″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff, turned down): 26″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff, turned up): 24″
Length (Base of collar to hem): 21-1/2″
A history of Albert Richard which I wrote for “The Art of Vintage Leather Jackets”:
Fried-Ostermann was founded c.1902 as a glove manufacturer. They bought out their competitor, Price Gloves, and relocated production of that company’s products to their original factory, located at 617-645 Reed Street, Milwaukee, WI. By 1915, the company had gained a partner, and was known as the Fried, Ostermann, Meyer Co, but that looks to only have lasted until 1917. As the company grew, they relocated to 1645 S. 2nd Street, Milwaukee, WI.
Fried-Ostermann diversified out of gloves and into outerwear in the late 1920s with the formation of a new division of the company, called Albert Richard. The leather jackets, mackinaws, overcoats and sportswear produced by Albert Richard would soon come to eclipse the glove-making side of the company.
Pre-war advertising stressed health and sports, with endorsements from college football players. These ads also talk about bringing items of clothing which were previously thought of as workwear, like mackinaws and leather jackets, into the realm of ordinary streetwear, citing their comfort and durability.
During WWII, the Albert Richard factory made A-2 (contract AC 23383), M-422A (contract 1406A), M444A and M445A flight jackets under the name of their parent company, Fried-Ostermann. They advertised leather jackets, overcoats and sportswear heavily during WWII, giving their jackets model names like the “Spitfire” and the “Meteor”. During the war, the company gave away wall-sized posters showing a range of american military airplanes.
850 workers were employed by Albert r in 1946, with plans to hire another 400. The company was one of the first to use fiberglass insulation in coats, a technology borrowed from b-29 bombers Sheepskin collared “storm coats” became a signature model after the war.
President of Fried-Ostermann, Richard Fried, sold their Albert Richard Division to the Drybak corporation of Binghampton, NY in late 1952. Drybak, a maker of canvas hunting clothing was looking to diversify their line. In the deal, they got the licensing, branding, patterns, dealership network, but other than the Vice President and designer for Albert Richard, all of the employees and equipment stayed at the plant in Milwaukee. Fried-Osterman re-focused the attention of their plant on the production of gloves, and on producing leather jackets under house labels for mail order and department stores.
Starting in 1953, under Drybak’s ownership, Albert Richard clothing was once again produced, this time under contract at a factory in New Jersey, which Drybak declined to name. The plan at that time was to have production moved to New York by 1954. Labels were changed in this period to read “Albert Richard by Drybak”. In 1955, Drybak acquired the Martin Mfg. Co. in Martin, TN. They closed their Binghamton operations in that same year and relocated their hunting clothing manufacturing and their Albert Richard division to the Tennessee plant to take advantage of the lower labor costs in the south.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/271731865127
This vintage coat was the Canadian version of the English Tropal coat. While the British versions were originally insulated with sheepskin, and later kapok, this is lined with a green pile. The coat is single breasted, with a wide overlap and internal windflap to keep out the harsh North African winds. The oversized collar flips up and latches for extra protection. The buttonholes are leather backed for durability and the collar is wool faced. The lining is removable via Newey snaps.
Chest (pit to pit): 26″ (doubled = 52″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 20″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 27″
Length (base of collar to hem): 46″
http://www.ebay.com/itm/271576023683
This vintage sheeplined coat was made in the early 1930s and was sold by the JC Penney Co. It has a nice early Penney’s label. It has a green cotton shell, with leather reinforced handwarmer and cargo pockets. As is typical of the style, it has loops instead of buttonholes. The coat is lined with sheepskin and has a sheepskin collar. Sleeves are blanket lined and there are knit storm cuffs. It appears that the sleeves were shortened at some point, exposing these cuffs.
Chest (pit to pit): 25″ (doubled = 50″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 21-1/2″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 23″
Length (base of collar to hem): 35-1/2″
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281406909215
This vintage coat was made in the 1920s. It is a shawl collared mackinaw style, with a sheepskin collar. The coat is belted with an early style buttoned belt. It has handwarmer pockets on the chest and flapped cargo pockets on the hips. The coat is leather-lined in the body and sleeves for windproofing. Prior to the adoption of leather as a common exterior material for coats in the 1920s, it was popular as a lining material for outdoorsy garments like this one.
Chest (pit to pit): 23″ (doubled = 46″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 20″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 26″
Length (base of collar to hem): 43″
http://www.ebay.com/itm/271418501090
This vintage work vest was sold by Sears under their Hercules workwear label in the late 1930s or early 1940s. It predates the (R) on the label which would come after WWII. It has a high necked cut favored by work vests due to the greater warmth and protection it offered. The vest has two pockets and a full sheepskin lining. Construction and materials are similar to the shawl collared sheepskin mackinaws sold by Hercules at the same period.
Chest (pit to pit): 22″
Length: 22″
http://www.ebay.com/itm/271397591682
This vintage coat was made in the 1930s by Gordon & Ferguson of St. Paul, Minnesota. At the time, this would have been sold as a “sheelpined coat”, though the term “shawl collar mackinaw” has come to also encompass this style. It has a broad mouton shawl collar, and is 3/4 lined with sheepskin. Consistent with the early dating, the sleeves are lined in a blanket material. The pockets all have triangular leather reinforcements at the corners. The leather loop closure for the buttons, as opposed to corded loops or buttonholes seems to be a uniquely Gordon and Ferguson detail. I have only ever seen it on coats made by them and by Guiterman Bros. after the G&F buyout in the late 1920s. See that Guiterman Town & Country here: https://vintagehaberdashers.com/2013/12/19/town-and-country-sheeplined-coat/
Chest (pit to pit): 21″ (doubled = 42″)
Shoulder to shoulder: 20″
Sleeve (shoulder to cuff): 26″
Length (Base of collar to hem): 34″
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″
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281050512045