"Working man's" attire?

[Randal]

I was wondering what type of clothing men wore in the manufacturing industry during the 20's and 30's. I'm particularly interested in what they wore in lumber yards and the lumber industry in general. Thanks.

 

[RBH]

I found this photo from circa 1930 in Washington state of a Lumber and Shingle Co.

 

[Geesie]

Heh. Coveralls, overalls, work boots.
Kind of like 'working man's attire' for this decade, too.

 

[carter]

Cool Photo!

I found this photo from circa 1930 in Washington state of a Lumber and Shingle Co.

Can anyone identify the cap worn by the big fella down front center?

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

Wow, Rusty, you hit the bullseye with answer to that question. Impressive find.

 

[John in Covina]

Can anyone identify the cap worn by the big fella down front center?

***********
Looks like a European type working man's cap, I seem to recall them being a bit like a dutch boy cap. Similar to the train engineers cap but wider in the top portion. Almost like a uniform cap.

 

[Randal]

Thanks RBH, that's exactly what I was looking for. It looks very similar to what's worn at my place of employment.

 

[John in Covina]

Not in the lumber yard but still manufacturing.

My dad was a lifelong machinist, operating the lathe and milling machine at work and at home for years and years. They made all sorts of precision items, as a teen I even assisted at home with making precision washers (to 1 thousandth of an inch!)

Dad always wore a "shop coat" that was a blue grey color to protect his clothes. It was a heavy cotton woven in a sort of herringbone pattern.
It was alot like a lab coat but those are white and much lighter weight material.

I tend to use a shop apron in a blue denim material when working on really messy jobs.

 

[OldSoul]

It sure hasn't changed much, has it? It's kind of like farming workwear, coveralls and overalls, replace the cap with a baseball cap and you have my dad!

 

[THe Conductor]

Here are some color photos from the 40s of machinists at a locomotive shop:

http://flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/2179181988/in/set-72157603671370361/

Just keep going right in the album.

I've noticed that the bib overalls were worn much higher in the past.

 

[Randal]

Here are some color photos from the 40s of machinists at a locomotive shop:

Thanks Conductor. Those pics were great! Thanks to all of you.

 

[Fatdutchman]

The cap on the guy in the center is a version of what is usually called a "wheel cap". Common 19th century headgear. The train engineers cap would be a direct descendant.

 

[shortbow]

Shorpy.com is your friend.