French Clothing in the New World. Final.

o    DOCUMENTATION:

o       1713-1745: 39 fabrics and 15 colours of waistcoats specified

o    1748-1758: 20 fabrics and 6 colours of waistcoats specified

o    1713-1758: 59 fabrics and 21 colours of waistcoats specified

o   

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o    carpenters,[140] the lighthouse keeper,[141] the beachmaster.[142] There is even mention of "a fisherman's gilet". [143]

o    It was not strictly reserved to this section of the population, for one finds gilets, though rarely, among men such as engineers, [144] or the clerk of the Superior Council. [145] In exceptional cases, it would not be a simple filet of comfortable wool but at the same time an elegant piece of clothing, when for example, it was trimmed "with white satin cuffs". [146]

o    7. SHORT CAPE (MANTELET )

o    One finds in the effects of a merchant-broker "a lining for a mantelet of white wool". [147] The effects of a ship captain include a mantelet of "common Indian cloth lined with flannel".[148] This short cape was very popular among women but was rarely worn by men. Only in New France did men adopt the short cape[149] and, though mantelets were not common here, Louisbourg was not an exception in this case.

o    8. POLONAISE

o    Other than the fact that it was trimmed with frogging (brandebourgs) (See Table No. 3), we have no description of the polonaise, though vests of this type appear a dozen times in the documents. The specified fabrics are similar to those used for ordinary vests (See Table No. 5): plush,[150] wool (a coarse variety called pinchinat)[151] and calamanco (calemande)[152] and of "rough blue fabric" (grosse étoffe bleue)[153]

o    9. REDINGOTTE

o    The redingotte, which took its name from "riding coat", was a coat buttoned from collar to waist. It had a collar like that of the surtout and another circular one covering the pleats of the upper back like a short cape. From the number of references to it (about thirty), it was more popular at Louisbourg than the vest à la polonaise. It was made with cloth (drap) (See Table No. 9) and was sometimes regarded as a vest, as when a soldier hid a stolen object "under his redingotte" that is "under his vest". [154] Thus it was not necessarily an outdoor coat.

o    It is doubtful that every redingotte was the elegant garment implied in the name. If it were so, it would be difficult to explain why one was owned by a fisherman (compagnon pêcheur) [155] or why another was worth less than 3 livres, [156] though that of the governor, made of "gray cloth trimmed with a collar of black velvet", [157] cost 101 livres. Between these extremes, prices averaged between 10 and 15 livres. Those who wore redingottes were generally the same people who wore suits.

o    10. OVERCOAT

o    It was also the same people who wore the overcoat (surtout), a type of "justaucorps which one wore over other clothes during winter". [158] However it had a collar and the front buttons stopped at the level of the pockets. There were only three buttons at the back opening. Though it was theoretically an outdoor coat, it could replace the justaucorps and in some cases, it could be part of a suit, since one reads, for example, of a surtout "with its vest and breeches". [159] The surtout was not unusual at Louisbourg but it was less common than the justaucorps from which it differed only slightly. Like the justaucorps, it was made of wool or cloth, but the colours we know about were less sombre than those used in the suit (See Table No. 10).

o   

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o    TABLE N0. 9: FABRICS AND COLOURS OF REDINGOTTES

PERIOD	WOOL	OTHER	COLOUR
1713 to 1745	1 carisé	2 drap 1 gros drap 1 étoffe	2 blue 1 gray 1 "gray-brown"
TOTAL
1748 to 1758	1 carisé	2 drap 2 gros drap 1 étoffe	2 red 1 gray brown 1 brown
TOTAL	1	5	-
GRAND TOTAL	2	9	-

o    DOCUMENTATION:

o    1713-1745: 5 fabrics and 4 colours of redingottes specified

o    1748-1758: 6 fabrics and 4 colours of redingottes specified

o    1713-1758: 11 fabrics and 8 colours of redingottes specified

o   

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o    TABLE N0. 10: FABRICS AND COLOURS OF COATS (SURTOUTS)

PERIOD	WOOL	OTHER	COLOUR
1713 to 1745	1 plush 1 camlet	6 étoffe 1 écarlate 1 toile	2 red 1 white
TOTAL	2	8	-
1748 to 1758	3 camlet 2 frieze (ratine) 1 carisé 1 mazamet 1 plush	1 drap 1 poplin	3 blue 2 red 2 gray 1 white
TOTAL	8	2	-
GRAND TOTAL	10	10	-

o    DOCUMENTATION:

o    1713-1745: 10 fabrics and 3 colours of coats specified

o    1748-1758: 10 fabrics and 8 colours of coats specified

o    1713-1758: 20 fabrics and 11 colours of coats specified

o   

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o    11. FROCKCOAT

o    The "frockcoat" (volant) is another style of coat known in Louisbourg, though it was more rare than the surtout which it resembled, being differentiated only by its unbuttoned sleeves and buttoned collar. We doubt whether these differences were of great importance in the usage of the time. Frequent mention is made of a frocked overcoat (surtout volant) [160] or an "overcoat or frockcoat of red camlet with a vest and breeches...4 livres". [161] This example suggests a resemblance to the justaucorps since it was combined with a vest and breeches, just as in a suit. The frockcoat was sometimes very luxurious. A ship captain had a frockcoat of "gray Brussels camlet trimmed with frogging of gold lace and new buttons of gold thread", which was worth 95 livres. [162] Another, valued at 16 livres, was certainly more sober. It was probably part of a uniform, since it was described as a "regulation white frock coat" (volant blanc d'ordonnance). [163] When camlet is not specified, the most common reference is to "cloth"(drap) without further detail.

o    E. WORK CLOTHES

o    1. DEVANTAUX

o    In 1756 the inventory of a merchant's gods included "sixteen goat's leather devantaux" [164] which were not listed among the same goods sold a few days later. [165] The sale included sixteen leather aprons (tabliers) which were not in the inventory. This suggests that a devantau was an apron. This deduction provides the only definition we have been able to find for this term, which would correspond to the leather aprons one sees in engraved illustrations of 18th century fishing scenes: men cleaning the fish after the boats returned wore a type of apron which covered their front (devant).

o    Devantaux were common at Louisbourg. [166] They belonged to the men (except captains) who also owned cloaks and fishermen's capots. Hence it was a fisherman's garment and the sixteen belonging to the merchant were undoubtedly for sale. These ones were of goat's leather. Others were of sheepskin [167] and the rest say simply "leather" or "skin" or do not specify the material, as if a devantauwere of leather by definition.

o    2. APRON

o    The simple apron (tablier) was no doubt used more frequently than the documents show. There were one hundred and thirty-two kitchen aprons, "both good and bad" worth less than one livre together, in the household of Governor Duquesnel. [168] His servants wore them for work.
A cooper accused of theft was said to have "put it all in his apron". [169] The cooper pretended that he was going to the pond where he soaked the barrel staves used in his work. This shows that he wore an apron in the course of his work.

o    There are no references to aprons apart from these. These are fairly important, then, to show that artisans and simple domestics at Louisbourg protected their clothes with an apron while they worked.

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o    CIVIL COSTUME AT LOUISBOURG: 1713 - 1758
MEN'S COSTUME

o    BY

o    MONIQUE LA GRENADE