Early Colonial Clothing

The clothing brought by the Plymouth colonists was typical of that worn by all English men in the early 17th century. Primarily it was fashioned from wool and linen cloth, with some leather. There was a much wider range of colors than exists in the modern image, including reds, yellows, purples and greens as well as black and grey. Some of these colors had social significance—black was indicative of solid respectability, blue was frequently worn by children and servants, and russet (reddish-brown) was a countryman’s color.

The everyday clothing worn the Wampanoag (the People of the First Light) before the English Pilgrims arrived in 1620 was made primarily for ease of movement and comfort. The clothing was made from animal skins, mainly deerskin from the white tail deer. Elk and moose were occasionally hunted besides the deer, but because of their range and possible scarcity, moose and elk hides were probably more often traded for by the Wampanoag.

All three of these animals also provided bone tools, and sinew and rawhide with which the Wampanoag sewed their clothing. Many mammals provided other furs for use as warm clothing and blankets or robes during the winter months. These included: the harbor seal, black bear, raccoon, river otter, grey and red fox, grey squirrel, beaver, muskrat and even the eastern timber wolf. These animal skins were used with the hair on. Deer, moose and elk hides were used either with the hair on or off.

Parts from birds were also used occasionally to fashion clothing. Feathers from the wild turkey and Canada goose were woven into robe-like garments. Such robes would probably have been worn by people of high status such as a Sachem (leader) or Pniese (warrior and counselor).

What of the fashions in the Colony? Between the landing at Jamestowne, May 13, 1607, until the time of 1704 Rent Rolls, three distinct sets of styles can be recognized for both men and women.

Until the industrial Revolution, all cloth weaving was by hand. Likewise, garments were stitched by hand. Consequently, only the very, very wealthy could boast a press full of the latest styles from Paris, London, and other capitals. In each of these centers, fashions were created for the monarch, his family, and members of the court. Such clothing, in slightly less elaborate forms, trickled down to the aristocracy and to the gentry. The ordinary yeoman had no hope of imitating anything so grand as the garments worn by his, "betters". Because all clothing was expensive, styles of dress did not change from year to year, much less from season to season. Garments were passed down from one generation to the next. Many bequests of quite ordinary clothing may be found in the wills of 17c Virginians.