Early 20th Century Carhartt Leather Gauntlet Style Gloves

1940's Era Salt & Pepper Twill Pants WPA New Deal Program

Killer pair of never worn Depression Era WPA / New Deal Program button fly pants. Recently sold for just north of the $600 mark. Details include,

• Salt & Pepper twill fabric (aka Convert Cloth)

• Wide waist band 

• 2 button fly with single button top closure. Lack of button hole for top closure is another sign that these pants are a sample

• Dungaree style angular front pockets with large HD bar-tack reinforcement

• Unusual front coin / watch pocket located between the right front pocket and fly as opposed to the more common location above the right side front pocket  

• Tagged WPA Not To Be Sold (Illinois), Style 102, size 18, lot 633, date 3-7-42 

Photos and information courtesy of Maklinens

Vintage Levi Strauss Wool Belt Back Jacket

1930's era Levi Strauss zipper front work jacket in burgandy wool with much favored belt back design. Levis Vintage Clothing current offerings includes a 1930's leather jacket with similar shape. This wool jacket would make a nice addition to the LVC line and includes the following details.

• Pointed collar

• 2 front slash type pockets

• Levi Strauss LS Co. loomed label

• Talon deco type zipper   

• Belted back with pleats

• Cuffs with sport type buttons

Photos courtesy of Dutch-Indo

The Maltese Falcon starring Humphrey Bogart and Sydney Greenstreet... A True Classic

As part of their 31 days of Oscar celebration, TCM is featuring California based films with a Saturday line up that includes more than a few all time favorites. Essential viewing includes The Maltese Falcon (1941), Bullitt (1968) and The Grapes of Wrath (1940). Check your local listing for showtimes.

The banter between Humphrey Bogart's character Sam Spade and Kasper Gutman, so perfectly played by Sydney Greenstreet, is the stuff of legend. Greenstreet's delivery of his many "I like a Man" antidotes never fail to impress and is just one of the reasons he was deserving of the nomination for best supporting actor for his role.

A sample of Kasper Gutman feeling out Sam Spade -  "I distrust a close-mouthed man. He generally picks the wrong time to talk and says the wrong things. Talking is something you can't do judiciously unless you keep in practice... Now, then, we'll talk if you like. I tell you right out I am a man who likes talking to a man who likes to talk."

Other memorable performances include Peter Lorre as Joel Cairo and Elisa Cook Jr. as Wilmer Cook.

Joel Cairo's scolding of Kasper aka The Fatman provided this gem "You imbecile!! You bloated idiot!!"

Spade dropped this classic line on Wilmer "When you're slapped, you'll take it and like it!"

Antique HEADLIGHT OVERALLS Engraved Metal Key Fob

HEADLIGHT SHRUNK OVERALLS - A NEW PAIR FREE IF THEY SHRINK - UNION MADE

Early 20th Century Neustadter Brothers BOSS OF THE ROAD Overalls Lot 777

Neustadter Brothers BOSS OF THE ROAD Union Made Lot 777 Overalls, dating to the early 1900's. Recently sold for just north of the $1300 mark. Photos via of nblman 2011
 

N.B Products BOSS OF THE ROAD Union Made Overalls & Workshirts ghost sign seen in a earlier Vintage Workwear post here

Those interested in this type of turn of the century denim and workwear manufactured on the west coast including the brands Neustadter Brothers, A.B. Elfelt & Co., Greenebaum Brothers and Eloesser-Heynemann & Co. are encouraged to check out the most excellent book Jeans of the Old West: A History by Michael Harris. Michael is one of, if not the authority on the subject and along with the support of partners in crime Charla & Russ, is currently wrapping up a new book that will focus on workwear from the turn of the century. In addition to being honored to provide a small piece for the project, we here at vintage workwear look forward to this exciting new book and will be sharing more details as they become available.

Michael Harris and one of his crime partners Russ.

Talented photographer and denim aficionado Farhad Samari aptly captured Michael's book signing for Jeans of the Old West, held at the Levis Store in Malibu CA last year. Check out the awesome photos and coverage of the event here.

1950's Era HEADLIGHT HEADIES Vintage Dungarees

1950's Era HEADLIGHT OVERALLS brand, HEADIES model boys dungarees that recently sold for north of the $1500 dollar figure. Deadstock condition and Union Made in the USA of Sanforized denim. Thanks to backtotheunknown for this find, the photos and following information.  

"In the 1930’s, Headlight Overalls of Detroit merged with Crown Overall Mfg. Co. of Cincinnati.  The new company, Crown-Headlight, was headquartered in Cincinnati/San Francisco but continued to sell garments under both the Crown and Headlight brands. As the waist label on these jeans confirms, this pair is of the post-merger era.  The waist label also mentions federal specifications for textiles that were first introduced in April 1937.  Because Crown-Headlight was ultimately bought out by Carhartt in 1960. In the early 1950’s, advertisements for Headlight apparel marketed the Headies line of jeans as “High styled dungarees. Extra full cut to fit husky youths and boys.”

One reason these rarely seen fold down front pocket HEADIES caught our eye was due to sharing many of the design details as a similar pair of THE BIG FAVORITE boys dungarees, part of the vintageworkwear.com collection. They are seen in the photo below in addition to a older post here along with a THE BIG FAVORITE jacket.

A nice piece on HEADLIGHT OVERALLS manufacturer Larned Carter & Co. including this pair of 1930's era HEADLIGHT buckle back dungarees can be found at Blue Gold Blues

1930's era HEADLIGHT buckle back dungarees courtesy of Ragtop Vintage

1950's era HEADLIGHT button fly dungarees courtesy of Moth Food

Washington and Lincoln: Presidents Day 2012

In honor of founding father George Washington and arguably our greatest president Abraham Lincoln, some 1940's, 1950's and 1960's deadstock vintage workwear bearing their names.