Sackcoats

Sack Coats

Jim Taylor, cowboy gunfighter, leader of the Taylor Party, and close associate of John Wesley Hardin, photographed in typical cowboy work garb of the early 1870's. His vest and five-button sack coat are matching parts of a suit, but the tight stove pipe pants (actually pantaloons, which are like trousers, only tighter) don't match, probably because the originals were worn out before this photograph was made. The coat lacks a left breast pocket and both coat and vest have rimmed horn buttons which are typical of sack suits of the period. Taylor wears his vest open, which was not at all socially acceptable at the time. Even for a Texan in working dress, this is quite a faux pas as the front of the shirt should have been covered by a vest, overshirt, jumper or jacket. Notice especially the two-inch heels (very high and very narrow by modern lights) on the light-colored square-toed cowboy boots. Texans tended to wear their pants outside their boots at this time, although exceptions can be found. A great shot showing the clothing and boots as actually worn by the gunfighting Texas cowboys c.1873.

Check out our glossary entry on "Sack Coats" for more technical details and see the "Trail Boss" entry for how our reproduction looks when worn. Below are photos of our sack coat in olive green wool. Pass the mouse over the front to see the coat buttoned up all the way. Price: $180

Close up of the rimmed horn buttons of the Jim Taylor sack coat and vest. Notice that the coat buttons are larger than the vest buttons and the suspender button on the mismatched trousers is a different style.