Black Hand
Cannon
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Most common color for wool leggings was red. Less common, blue and green.kullas said:
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Leggings
- Thread starter kullas
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We think of red as being bright and today we all want to join the walnut brigade. Movment is more important then color. Red in the green wood or on the purpel sage can fade to a point where you wont see it from even a few yards away.
tenngun said:
+ 1
Also Stophel, most eastern tribes never had any fringe on their leggings. Most people ultimately think Native American, they visualize much of what's associated with plains culture.
Anything fringe/ dangling item's will and does get caught on the underbrush while trying to quickly navigate the forest quietly. Probably what that picture may be showing is the material one may have used as a lining like cotton/ linen, especially on wool.
Also the same reason they wore their bags and horns high on their sides.
Common colors were already mentioned, blues, reds, greens and greys. Personally for winter hunts I always prefer grey wool. For events I have multiple blue/ red trimmed sets and also several buckskin pairs.
I make and sell mine based upon measurements and a basic pattern, any questions feel free to PM me.
Stophel
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The red legged Indian (I think the painting is from about 1790, as I recall) is wearing the standard, universal wool leggings that match most period descriptions. Cloth wrapped around the leg, sewn up, with a 2 or 3 inch "flap" left extending out beyond the seam. It's neat that he has them tucked into high top moccasins. Often times you see their ankles exposed!
Yes sir, I personally like mine a tad bit below the ankle with a 1/2" seam. Probably it was personal preference to how one wanted his attire I'd say.
Actually just cut my wool for another blue set. :grin:
Actually just cut my wool for another blue set. :grin:
We have to keep in mind that precolumbian Indians lived mostly in an earthtone world. Bright colorswere just wonderful. Then making new leggings was just so easy.
Today we like to match things, but back then mixing color was fun. One red and one green dark blue or yellow was not uncommon. Even today Indians who have served in the military will wear the red and blue honor blankets.
Today we like to match things, but back then mixing color was fun. One red and one green dark blue or yellow was not uncommon. Even today Indians who have served in the military will wear the red and blue honor blankets.
Stophel
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It wasn't just the Indians. The frontiersmen were also quite colorful. Period descriptions only rarely mention "camo colors". Something that is SOOOO hard for modern men to comprehend. And I'm a camo guy, myself. I live in "earth tones" and hate bright colors.
Some of its social and our upbringing. After Victoria lost her husband the world went in to moarning and guys at least never got out of it. Right after getting married I had my wife at an event and a trader was selling a pink shirt. My wife asked about pink, and I told her it was very popular in the old days, it was not a girls color back then. The blue/pink thing wouldn't start till the 1920s. Later she snuck back to that trader and bought me the shirt. I wore it, but was never comfortable in it.
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I doubt that NA's or Frontiersmen wore red when hunting turkeys or wildfowl, but no problem for deer as the most they see are yellows and greens. I don't think I would want to wear red colored leggings in an area where hostile humans might be around.
The funny thing is that in low light conditions such as the pre dawn hours, the human eye picks up blue and green much better/faster than red or even orange as the light increases. Have to admit I did not believe that until I tried it out and found out it is true.
Heck, a pure white shirt will stand out for quite a long distance and further than red for the human eye, unless there is a lot of snow on the ground.
I used to take young Marines into the forest at Quantico to show them how Forest Green Camo became totally ineffective at around 100 yards, unless the sun was shining down on it. At that distance, the camo colors could no longer be discerned and the people wearing them just looked sort of dark.
However, things that "break up" the human outline work as well or better than up close. This is why Ghillie suits work so well and I've often wondered if long fringing does the same thing?
As mentioned before, movement often attracts the eye as quickly or faster than color does.
Gus
The funny thing is that in low light conditions such as the pre dawn hours, the human eye picks up blue and green much better/faster than red or even orange as the light increases. Have to admit I did not believe that until I tried it out and found out it is true.
Heck, a pure white shirt will stand out for quite a long distance and further than red for the human eye, unless there is a lot of snow on the ground.
I used to take young Marines into the forest at Quantico to show them how Forest Green Camo became totally ineffective at around 100 yards, unless the sun was shining down on it. At that distance, the camo colors could no longer be discerned and the people wearing them just looked sort of dark.
However, things that "break up" the human outline work as well or better than up close. This is why Ghillie suits work so well and I've often wondered if long fringing does the same thing?
As mentioned before, movement often attracts the eye as quickly or faster than color does.
Gus
Makes you wonder. I don't wear camo when hunting, but do wear earth tones. Walnut husk were used for dyeing in the old days. However we read and see paintings of undyed linen rifleman shirts and red shirts show up in paintings. Of corse we see green ranger uniforms and Robin Hood dressed to match the green wood, an least Errol Flyn did.
I can recall reading it, but my old timers is catching up with me so the details ain't there. An ambush was set up during the French and Indian war, given away by one of the men's white wool coat. Bright leggings or shirts were worn by Indians but they also used body paint and many already have darker skin. My likly white body would show up a lot easier then some one else's tea colored skin. Leggings and shirts came off pretty easy.
I can recall reading it, but my old timers is catching up with me so the details ain't there. An ambush was set up during the French and Indian war, given away by one of the men's white wool coat. Bright leggings or shirts were worn by Indians but they also used body paint and many already have darker skin. My likly white body would show up a lot easier then some one else's tea colored skin. Leggings and shirts came off pretty easy.
