1700s Clothing
For my designs I need to research into possible clothing options that existed in the 1700s for my pirates to wear in their portraits. Now that I've researched into their history I can make a good guess on the type of outfits they wore whether it was uniform or casual clothing. However now I need to research specifically on what these clothing looked liked and the types that are out there.
Black Beard was a privateer (legalized pirate) during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-13) and he robbed ships in the West Indies. He grew up in England so I'm guessing he was on the side of the English which means he could have possible been wearing the uniform given to privateers who were under the English command. William Kid also worked in an English fleet opposing the French and later became a privateer so he would have also worn an English privateer uniform. Below are reference images of what British soldiers use to wear in the 1700s. The uniform coats are bright red and if Black Beard were to wear this would he lose his intimidation factor? When I first image Black Beard I picture him all in black, as that is very intimidating. However looking at other interpretations of Black Beard he is nearly always depicted either wearing all black, all red or the two colours combined. I feel if he was to wear a red coat then this will highlight his beard a lot more. As you can see in the image below on the bottom left, that model of black beard is wearing a deep blood red coat. He also has red ribbons in his beard matching it and also highlighting the true length of his beard. If I were to change his uniform to black would he become more intimidating or less? His beard would become more blended in with his clothes but by wearing all black he fits more of the description of a demon as you struggle to make out his appearance a lot more and he's very dark.
Privateer Uniform
Wanting to test if Black Beard would become more intimidating wearing all red or all black I decided to edit the above left image in Photoshop to change the red coat to black. From looking at the two, black is definitely more intimidating however, I found that when I changed the red ribbons in his beard to black too it lost intimidation as it seemed to hide how long his beard was and his hair simply just blended all in with his clothes. I wonder if his undershirt was more revealed and that was a dark red colour then this will highlight the length of his beard and he will still be able to pull off the black overcoat.
In the film Pirates of the Caribbean: On stranger tides Captain Barbossa (one of the main characters) becomes captain of a privateer ship for the British navy. The film was also set in the 1700s and now I feel stupid as above I was looking at uniform giving to soldiers on land so Black Beard wouldn’t have been wearing that uniform. However it’s still good inspiration for coat designs and whether red is his colour. Soldiers in the navy seem to have been given navy blue uniforms with gold details/ embroidery. The character Barbosa is given red sleeves on his uniform as this signifies him as being captain. Although dark I don't see navy blue as that much of an intimidating colour as its quite calming colour but very bold. I do really like the gold embroidery though, and I can picture if the coats were black instead of navy blue then this would be a very nice coat design for Black Beard. One thing I would do to improve these coats, would be to give them tall collars to add intimidation however, I'm unsure if this fashion was developed yet in the 1700s, I will have to research further into this.
Pirate Clothing in 1700s Films
Pirates of the Carribean
Tricorne Hats
The tricorne or tricorn is a style of hat that was popular during the 18th century, falling out of style by 1800, though actually not called a "tricorne" until the mid 1800s. During the 18th century hats of this general style were referred to as "cocked hats". At the peak of its popularity, the cocked hat (tricorne) varied greatly in style and size, and was worn not only by the aristocracy, but also as common civilian dress, and as part of military and naval uniforms.
Will Turner wears a Cavalier hat which is a variety of wide-brimmed hat popular in the seventeenth century. These hats were often made from felt, and usually trimmed with an ostrich plume. They were often cocked up or had one side of the brim pinned to the side of the crown of the hat (similar to the slouch hat) which was then decorated with feathers.
Barbossa also wears a Cavalier hat however his one is not cocked up but is instead keapt flat all around. He too has decorative ostridge feathers which hang over the edge of the brim.
Cavalier Hat
Frock Coat
A frock coat is a man's coat characterised by a knee-length skirt (often cut just above the knee) all around the base, popular during the Victorian and Edwardian periods. The frock coat was widely worn in much the same situations as modern lounge suits and formalwear, with different variations. One example is that a frock coat for formalwear was always double-breasted with peaked lapels; as informal wear, the single-breasted frock coat often sported the step, or notched, lapel (the cause of its informality), and was more common in the early 19th century than the formal model.
Waistcoat
A waistcoat is a sleeveless upper-body garment. It is usually worn over a dress shirt and necktie or below a coat as a part of most men's formal wear. It is also sported as the third piece in the traditional three-piece male business suit. Commonly it has buttons up the middle and a shirt like collar. It comes in various patterns and collars and hoes nice with a bow-tie or Caviet as an accessory.
Colonial Shirt
A man's shirt would be made of linen and would serve as a nightshirt as well. He might only own two or three. He would wear his shirt night and day, often for weeks or more at a time especially in winter, without laundering. Underpants did not exist yet and before a man put on his breeches he tucked his shirt up around his legs somewhat like a diaper.
A baldric (also baldrick, bawdrick, bauldrick as well as other rare or obsolete variations) is a belt worn over one shoulder that is typically used to carry a weapon (usually a sword) or other implement such as a bugle or drum. The word may also refer to any belt in general, but this usage is poetic or archaic.
Baldrics
Bandana
Bandanas are used a lot for typical crew members of a pirate ship. It keeps the users hair back and also forehead protected from the sun. They come in various colours and patterns and can also be worn under hats. When unfolded the bandana is a simply square piece of cloth. There are many different styles on how to wear a bandana as seen below and it can also be used to wrap around the lower half of the face which is what common gangster do these days to protect identity or it can also been warn round the neck as a simple neck-scarf. If a pirate ever wants to spice up their look, then this is a quick and easy method.
Black Sails
I decided to research more thouroughly into pirate clothing in films and tv shows as they are one of my best sources for creating my own ideas. The tv show Black Sails and the film serise Pirates of the Caribbean are the best ones I know for creating realistic clothing designs for pirates.
Extras
Monmouth Cap
The Monmouth cap was an item of woollen headgear fashionable between the 15th and 18th centuries, and associated with the town of Monmouth in the south east Wales. The knitted round caps were used by both soldiers and sailors, and they were widely exported. There is a place called Monmouth Cap, named after a former coaching inn, at Llangua on the boundary between Herefordshire and Monmouthshire.
Bi-Corne Hat
The bicorne or bicorn (two-cornered/horned or twihorn) is a historical form of hat widely adopted in the 1790s as an item of uniform by European and American military and naval officers. It is now most readily associated with Napoléon Bonaparte but in practice most generals and staff officers of the Napoleonic period wore bicornes, and it survived as a widely worn full-dress headdress until at least 1914.
Sailors Kneckerchief
A neckerchief, neckie, necko, necker, kerchief or scarf is a type of neckwear associated with Scouts, cowboys and sailors. It consists of a triangular piece of cloth or a rectangular piece folded into a triangle. The long edge is rolled towards the point, leaving a portion unrolled. The neckerchief is then fastened around the neck with the ends either tied or clasped with a slide or woggle.
Knee Breeches
Eventually, the "Venetians" became lest "pouffy" and were known as simply "knee breeches". By the latter 16th century, breeches began to replace hose as the general English term for men's lower outer garments, a usage that remained standard until knee-length breeches were replaced for everyday wear by long pantaloons or trousers. Knee-breeches came in several styles: very full throughout, very tight throughout, and very gathered and the top and narrow at the knee (like an inverted pear or turkey-leg). They might button or hook at the knee (either on the outside or inside of the knee), or might even be left open. They would be worn with over-the-knee length stockings, either tucked inside or pulled over the breeches that were held up by garters. The garters might be quite ostentatious, or they might be simple bands with a buckle, with the stocking tops rolled down over to hide them. Knee-breeches became widely distributed by the British Admiralty in what became known as "slop" contracts, a list of required garments that was first established in 1623.
I created a list of other common pirate clothing in the 1700s that wern't mentioned in the one above. I want to make sure I miss nothing out so I am aware of all the possible option for my designs.
1700s Clothing Status
For most of history, fashion was determined by one’s socioeconomic status. The same was true in New France. However, back then there was an added importance to defining one’s social identity through one’s clothes. “Police instructions stated that everyone should dress in keeping with their rank” to preserve the differences between the social classes.
Similar to France, the colony’s class structure could be summarized into three sections. The upper class or nobility consisted of appointed officials, royal administrators, seigneurs (wealthy landowners), upper clergy members, and army officials. They were followed by the bourgeoisie: the merchants and traders, then shopkeepers and tradespeople. The habitants (farmers and fishers) made up the third social strata. This section was rounded out by engagés (indentured servants) and slaves. By the time New France became British North America, 80% of the population (78,880 in 1763) fell into the habitant class. Given how many habitants there were, let’s look at what they wore first:
Unlike the wealthier settlers, habitants’ clothes was either homemade or spun by local weavers. Their working-class attire tended to be on the more conservative side and was similar to the clothing worn in the French countryside. The fabrics used were more durable than fashionable. Linen, hemp or coarse wool, often lined with leather or fur for additional warmth, was generally used.
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Men wore a shift or shirt, breeches with knitted wool stockings, and sometimes a vest or a short waistcoat. They either wore leather shoes with a buckle, clogs, or moccasins. Aboriginal influence on habitants’ clothes was more apparent with men’s fashion. In addition to moccasins, men added leggings and on super humid days, breechclouts (a rectangular piece of fabric held up by a belt), to their wardrobes. Who needs pants! Toques or wide brimmed hats were also worn depending on the season.
Like their French counterparts, women were stuck wearing a lot of clothing, even in the summer. Cotton shifts, woolen skirts over a petticoat, wool stockings held up by garters, bodices, bonnets, and buckle shoes or clogs were a part of their daily wear. Dresses, mantles (short hooded coats), and aprons were also in their wardrobes. Aside from also wearing moccasins, the main aboriginal influence on women’s fashion came in the form of the shawl.
The middle class wore similar clothes to the habitants, however theirs was made of finer, softer fabrics including silk and velvet and came in a wider range of colours. There were some differences however. Men often wore wigs and tri-corner hats decorated with feathers. Their shirts, pants, and waistcoats were more tailored, be adorned with decorative buttons, and the latter would have included embroideries and braids. Around their necks were ties/scarves made of muslin that were knotted in a fashionable manner to rest at the top of heir chests.
The inclusion of decorative fashion could also be seen in the clothes of bourgeoisie women. Their blouses had lace collars, skirts were adorned with pleats, their stockings were made of silk, and their aprons were made of lace. Dresses were more fitted, often had short, narrow sleeves, the bottoms were raised and pinned at the back, and a dress coat would have been worn over them. Also, bourgeoisie women would have carried around fans or parasols.
The nobility were at the top of the social class structure as no royalty ever resided in New France, let alone visited. (Fun Fact: Prince William, who later became King William IV, is considered the first royal person to visit British North America. He visited from 1786-1787 as part of a Royal Navy contingent). The number of people who made up the nobility class was minuscule in comparison to the habitants as New France was not an attractive place for the French upper class. Lives abroad would have denied them all of the luxuries of their daily French lives that they were used to. Those who left largely did so due to their employment (appointed government or military officials) or (given the lack of other nobles and royalty) to boost their place in society.
Ingénieur 1750-1760. Source: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada, no d’acc 1989-559-32. MIKAN no. 2895801
Generally speaking, the type of clothes they wore were similar to the bourgeious, however things like how the fabrics were cut and the material used set them apart. Like their counterparts in Europe, the nobility in New France wore lavish clothes made with extravagant fabrics and designs. Initially, noble men wore wigs that were so big and cumbersome that their tri-corner hats had to be carried under their arms. When wigs became lighter in the 18th century, the tradition of carrying one’s hat under their arm persisted. Their shirts had lace collars and cuffs, their necks were adorned with Steinkerque lace cravats (ties/scarves). Gold and silver thread was woven into their vests and coats. Their pants, stockings, and shoes were made of silk. They also carried canes and wore gloves.
