[Pages 179-186:]
The costumes of gentlemen in the years of the thirties, say, '35, '36 and '37, were richer, more elaborate, of greater variety and more expressed in fancy; and made of finer materials than now fifty years later. For the street, office or court room, in spring or autumn, they wore black frock coats, not unlike the "Prince Alberts," of the present time, with plain, dark blue, lavender or drab cashmere trousers, strapped with the same cloth under the boots; the straps as wide as the space under the instep would permit, the boots having high heels; the straps were a narrow continuation of the trousers legs, and buttoned underneath the feet or boots. Boots had circular steel plates on the heels, and were universally worn in day time; at balls or parties, *pumps were worn, sometimes light French boots. The only person I have known in recent years, who continued the fashion of wearing straps until his death was the Hon. John GANSON [who was stricken in court while trying a cause and died in the carriage while being taken to his home in 1874].

The fashion of straps had its recommendation in this: the trousers fitted close down to the feet, showing but little of the boots. The trousers did not bag at the knees, the feet being more or less covered appeared small; the ankle, ungainly feet and gaping trouser legs were not so unsightly, either walking or sitting down. The waistcoats or vests were of figured or embossed silk and velvet, sometimes in colors suited to the fancy, in figured worsted or black satin; the worsteds, velvets and satins often made double breasted, except for evening wear; the silk or satin, cut low, showing a pleated shirt front, with a single bar pin, or a brilliant if the wearer could afford it; a satin or bombazine stock, plain, high and stiff, with a white two-pointed collar coming up and over the chin and lapping called "toothpick collars." As a change or improvement from a too prim or rigid neck, a handsome flowing bow was attached to the stock. The stocks were properly named. There was a number of variations from the dress described; the shirt front was often covered by a black satin, plain, plaited or figured front, or dickie, for morning wear [as the pure white shirt front was supposed to have been soiled over night]. With one of "Leary's" high black silk hats, of the mode [at one time called the "Count D'Orsay"

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*A shapely made slipper.

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style] completed the street dress, adding lavender or fawn colored kid gloves.

Another and far different style of dress, and worn both day and evening by gentlemen of middle age, inclined to be portly. A blue dress coat, velvet collar, and gilt buttons; plain blue, black, lavender or drab trousers; a straw-colored cashmere vest, cut low, with four or six buttons; ruffled shirt front, the ruffles starched and plaited, protruding three to four inches; or if the linen cambric ruffles were without much starch, they were carefully laid to one side or the other under the vest collar as its immaculate condition might best appear. Or, an elderly gentleman would allow them to drop loosely in front, in a negligent manner, with a diamond pin peeping out of the folds of the ruffles; a white choker -- namely a piece of cambric wound in several folds around the throat and neck, worn without a collar and like the stock high enough to keep the head up. The wristbands were edged with narrow ruffles and fastened with linked buttons, jeweled. The watch was carried in the fob of the trousers from which a heavy "fob chain" depended to which was attached handsome cornelian or other jeweled seals and keys. A large handsome, double-cased, gold lever watch, with seals and keys as aforesaid, was considered a necessary requisite to complete the make-up of a gentleman in those days, a good time-piece being the exception, they were mostly silver Lepines, old French and Swiss watches in common use, now and then an English silver lever. Gentlemen were somewhat ostentatious of displaying the heavy gold fobs, chain and seals. The same class of gentlemen rarely wear watches now, they have become so universally common. This costume was considered en régle for a ball room, but when thus worn, the linings of the swallow tails of the coat were changed to white silk, sometimes white satin; the gilt buttons of the coat were exchanged to gold and the gold buttons of the waistcoat jeweled. Light pumps with silk hose in place of boots and socks. This dress was undoubtedly a becoming and picturesque one; half military, half gentlemen of elegant leisure; the writer can recall several handsome men in the times past, who wore that sort of dress, namely: "Squire GROSVENOR, Major CAMP, Doctor WARNER, Eli COOK, Colonel PALMER, Dr. henry R. STAGG, Henry W. ROGERS, Shubael GALLUP, Doctor HADDOCK, and Gov. DeWitt CLINTON.

In summer, gentlemen wore nankin vests and trousers, sometimes coats of the same material, and it was a neat suit for hot weather; white, buff and fancy figured Marseilles vests; white linen drilling and duck trousers, not infrequently an entire suit of white linen. Such goods could then be worn for several days without being soiled, the atmosphere was purer and more clean, not so beclouded with dust, smoke and cinders; you were not so liable to come in contact with your neighbors' crossed legs and muddy or dusty boots in the street cars, and run the gauntlet of them; or your lady friends' nawsty dog fawning upon you. [I once, of a Sunday morning, called upon a delicate and supposed to be a refined lady, my cousin too, whom I had not seen for many years. I had on the whitest of white trousers and vest. My cousin had a pet dog of the Isle of Skye origin; the dog came up the door steps where we were sitting, having successfully scampered through a mud puddle. From his social manifestations, I was in terror of him, forgetting for a moment my watchfulness [while in conversation], he suddenly jumped up my legs and into my lap and put his nose upon my waistcoat! when I had risen from my seat, behold! my condition! and guess the state of my temper. "Why! Fido! see what you have done;" while a covert smile, visible on her countenance was all the satisfaction given me. That's why I do not like ladies' pet dogs].

The conventional black dress suit for evening wear, was also then in fashion. The coat with the enormously padded collar running way up into the hair which was then worn long; the black skirts, or tails of the coat were short and narrow, reaching down nearly to a point, making the figure of the man if a little bent over, appear like an enormous black crow. This suit was worn with the high white "choker," as it was universally called. For an office or careless coat, the frock was sometimes exchanged for a bottle green "shad-belly" coat. Claret colored, Dahlia, Mulberry, or Adelaide color cloth frock coats were much worn. A full suit of black was only worn by clergymen. Suits of tweed or ordinary mixed cloths, with the sack coat were not known here in the thirties. In winter, out of doors, gentlemen wore plain drab cloth and brown or blue Petersham overcoats, frequently made in coachman style with three or four capes, one atop of the other graduated sizes, and large, mother of pearl buttons, sometimes as large as our shrieking eagle silver dollars. About this time came into fashion the handsome cloth cloaks which were very generally adopted. These cloaks were the ne plus ultra of elegant costume made of fine black or blue broad cloth, a full circle in extent containing from five to ten yards of six feet wide cloth, with shoulder cape [short] of the same, all lined with red or blue frieze flannel; Lyons silk velvet collar and faced all the way down each side with full width velvet. When worn by a portly and lordly looking man, with the mass of cloth thrown over the shoulder, the velvet facing ostentatiously displayed outside and folded over the arms after the manner of the Roman toga, it was what the women would call stunning! In mild winter weather, showing the ruffled shirt bosom, diamond pin and white choker. The reader can imagine the grand appearance such a man as Col. Alanson PALMER did make, or Millard FILLMORE or the late Francis W. TRACY would have made.

Later on, when these costly cloaks were well worn, the style of cloaks changed and they were supposed to have been razeed to the size of the smaller "Spanish" cloaks, shorn of their capes and a part of their collars, the volume of cloth reduced in length, altogether a changed garment -- but a graceful one, and quite convenient, if you also wore rapier and dagger a la Hidalgo

To complete the winter outfit with the large cloak, it was considered "the thing" to wear a large cap made up of otter fur, without visor, and gauntlets of the same. After the fashion of gentlemen's cloaks went out, gentlemen began to adopt a fashion of wearing very long woolen scarfs in bright clan plaids crossed and recrossed over the shoulders and belted with the same, Highland style. Then came the very long wool shawl, a convenience which held as a fashion for a long time. Boots and leather boxes, buckled with straps, or for sleigh driving, long, red, Wellington stockings coming up to the top of the thigh if needed and over the foot, Indian moccasins, embroidered with various colored porcupine quills. With the Spanish cloak, the blue or black cloth caps were worn. Gentlemen universally wore beaver fur or silk hats, cloth or fur caps. Slouch hats of wool did not come into use here until the would-be liberator of Hungary, Kossuth's, visit to the country early in the fifties. The Kossuth, or hungarian hats, were first worn here with an ostrich feather. The "Derby" is of still more recent introduction.

Elderly gentlemen and wise old doctors carried Bandana or Spittalfield silk pocket handkerchiefs. The bandanas were figured in red and light gold color, the Spittalfields were dark wine color with splashes of what are called polka spots in lighter color; these handkerchiefs often were of extraordinary size, especially if the gentlemen were addicted to the use of snuff which was a common habit; indeed the elderly ladies used it, sometimes to excess as they did Bohea or Hyson teas, and it was considered a token of politeness in both sexes to offer each other a pinch of snuff from their boxes when meeting. [The use of chewing tobacco was rare excepting among sailors.] These elderly gentlemen also carried large size Malacca canes with round ivory tops. It was not uncommon to see a couple of portly old gentlemen meeting on the street offering their boxes of Maccaboy, Rappee or Scotch, each to the other [their boxes usually made of papier maché, round with odd pictured tops]; this custom was more particularly frequent if they possessed silver or gold boxes, then bowing and taking a liberal pinch, and waiting a goodly time, and if they could utter a hearty sneeze it was considered an achievement and test of the good quality of the offered article; it was thought to be almost an affront if the gentelman or lady were startled out of their desired sneeze after which they would blow a blast from their nasal horns which might be heard a black away, and flourishing their bandanas and canes as if the operation had been successfully performed.

Although Buffalo in the thirties was a new town, a far west and provincial city, there was not, as one might suppose, as much gauchérie of manner, the vulgarisms and bad habits of uncultivated people, the slang and freedom of speech, the abuse of language as may be observed in greater proportion today in our greatly enlarged city or in many of our western towns after fifty years of progress.

There was no assumption nor snobbishness of the nouveau riche; nor were you able to detect by manner or speech the mixture and conglomerate condition of what is called good society then as today. Those who affected good society were the equals of their associates in the courtesies and amenities of life, although the advantages of education were not as wide spread and general, nor as easily obtained as now; yet the range being more confined was more thorough and practical; the college bred man was an exception with us. The society man or woman did not affect foreign language or customs which they did not know, and therefore would not assume to know. The ladies and gentlemen, young and old, in their intercourse with each other, and together were courteous and polite, modest without mauvaise honté; indeed they might have been called chivalric. Young gentlemen were ever courteous and deferential to young and old, without show of being ceremonious, but as if it were part of their nature and breeding. Their attentions to the ladies were not limited to attendance at their parties when invited or their special attention to their own selfish gratification thereat; nor did they consider a formal call a quid pro quo or complete satisfaction for the compliment of an invitation from the hostess, nor did they consider her as the caterer employed to entertain them for condescending to act as squire aux dames for an evening, they esteemed it rather as their reward for their efforts to please and make their society acceptable. Nor did their attentions cease at formal politeness; they deemed it part of their duty to do what they could to contribute by personal effort, skill, tact, and if necessary the expenditure of money [so far as their incomes would honorable permit], to the enjoyment or pleasure of the day or evening, whenever present. The young men were bright, active, thoughtful, consequently intelligent, and they found the ladies reciprocated their good offices. The contemporary young ladies were unusually well informed; good conversationalists, generally fine looking, pretty, some, indeed, noted for their beauty, handsome appearance and engaging manners.

At that early day and in the rapid development of the city, it was almost a requirement for a professional or business man settling in Buffalo that he should have talent, quickness of perception, good address and social ambition to succeed. When he did succeed, he was fully trusted by the community. Most of those who were here, or came here during that decade, were young or middle-aged men, either from New England or Eastern New York, their ambition and independence of character made them self-reliant and led them to the venture of a new home; and being the pioneers and architects of their own fortunes, there were few drones or sluggards among them. Alas! Now and then, one would fall by the wayside as in all communities; but none the less regretted by their friends for whatever good qualities they may have possessed.

The writer assumes to state that nowhere in this or any other country was there so large a proportion to the number of the people, of gifted men, of brilliant qualities, brighter minds, honorable and chivalric characters, remarkable for their manly physiques than the men who trod the halls and highways of Buffalo during the decade of the thirties. Who of the older Buffalonians that can look back to that period but to remember with pleasure their admiration of such specimens of manhood as the following:

One hundred names of prominent men in the community and justly so; and which number the writer could quadruple from memory; men who have trodden our streets, buoyant with life were known as enterprising in business, eminent in their professions, honorable in their dealings, known to and respected by each other, genial and fraternal in their intercourse with their contemporaries, had faith and confidence in each other, their words as good as their bond [with rare exceptions], whose names and faces were as familiar as household words to all the people. They all had their own affairs to take care of for they were busy men but were willing to serve the public in all honorable ways when sought for; considering duty and regard for the people and city a "public trust."

Continued~