Government-issue postage stamps began in 1847. The designs varied little prior to 1860. The most common
stamp in 1860 was a design in use since 1851, a profile of George Washington in dull red ink with a 3¢ denomination. The original issue of this stamp was not perforated, meaning a scissors was necessary to cut out the stamp. In 1857, perforated versions were first issued. The blue 1¢
stamp features a profile of Benjamin Franklin. The red-brown 5¢ stamp is a portrait of Thomas Jefferson. Washington is also found on the 10¢,
12¢, 24¢ and 90¢ stamps. Franklin is on the 30¢ stamp.
All of these stamps were demonetized with the outbreak of the war and new
stamps of similar designs were re-issued. The same basic designs were used
until 1870, but special reissues occurred in 1875. (Baseball was featured
on stamps in 1939 and 1969 for supposed centennials; the honors occurred
in 2000 with a special sheet depicting 20 "Legends of Baseball" and again in 2001 with a sheet featuring classic ballparks.)
The brief and romantic period
of the Pony Express relay mail service between St. Joseph, Missouri
and San Francisco began April 3, 1860 and lasts just one and one-one year.
Although a financially disastrous enterprise for the sponsoring firm of
Russell, Majors, and Waddell, the Pony Express and its most famous riders,
William ("Buffalo Bill") Cody and "Pony Bob" Haslam, gave rise to one of
the most colorful episodes of the American West.
The approximately 1,800-mile
route normally required about 10 days to cover, with riders changing horses
six to eight times between stations,of which there were 157. The service
ceased with the completion of the transcontinental telegraph system.
Joanne Haug on Victoriana.com
writes: The 19th century lady was a vision of elegance and grace in beautiful
gowns lavishly trimmed with frills, flounces, lace, braid, fringe, ruche
and ribbons. The fashion conscious lady created this appearance with a
mysterious combination of the "uncomfortable and inconvenient" with the
"frivolous and decorative." Numerous heavy petticoats, layers of underclothes,
metal hoops, tight corsets and pointed boned bodices of whalebone and steel
were hidden by an array of ornately accented undersleeves, collars, pelerines,
fans, gloves, hats and parasols. The finished look of elegance and grace
with an illusion of ease and comfort. 
In contrast, Beth Turza presents a study of four work dresses in The Citizens' Companion and later reprinted in Midwest Open Air Museums magazine. She writes: What women wore every day during our American Civil War is a topic of great
interest to those of us who portray the civilian population in our interpretation.
Whether she was of the rising middle class, or the farmer class, or among
the poorest in society, what a woman wore when she was going through her
daily routine would have been much different from what was considered fashionable
by more wealthy women.
The four cotton work dresses
shown have little resemblance to the illustrations of fancy dresses in
the fashion magazines of the day. Each uses fabric with bright earth tone
colored patterns with a tendency toward stripes and geometrics in shades
of rust. The dress with a paisley pattern is worked into a striped design.
The sack suit remained the standard
design for men. By 1859, a full-cut long style down to the thighs, a few
inches above the knee was the style. It is usually seen with wide lapels
with braid trim, dropped shoulders, ample sleeves and made of black wool.
Woolen trousers are loose-fitting, having become popular in 1854. They
do not have a crease or cuff and break down to the instep or natural heel
line. It is not uncommon to see an unmatched coat and trousers.
A passing hairstyle for men
was let hair cover the ears, blunt-cut at the lobes. By 1860, stylish men
in the East were getting their hair cut higher on their ears, and perhaps
even to the top of the ear. High-front hair waves had become passé
by 1855, replaced by back-brused hair, usually parted on one side.
Full beards are not uncommon,
but chin whiskers were more popular. Mustaches were always trimmed, if
not sparse. Bushy side-whiskers, also known as dundrearies and later as
sideburns had yet to become the fashion (this would change with the appearance
of General Ambrose E. Burnside during the war, an anagram of his name being
the origin of the term; he popularized the muttonchop variety). In 1860,
if a man was clean-shaven or did not wear a full beard, hair along the
ear would usually be shaved.
For women, the padded wing hairstyle,
parted down the center, reappeared about 1857. Often the hair was rolled
and held with a comb. Crocheted hairnets were a common accessory, letting
the hair in back roll under, replacing the bun. Appurtences of black velvet
bands across the top of the head were fashionable. Shaker sunbonnets were
the style in 1860. Stylish women were letting their hair down, so that
the net covered the back of the neck.
An ambrotype of the Soule
family, illustrating fashions of Minnesota, circa 1860. Mr. Soule is holding
a newspaper believed to announce his election to the Minnesota Legislature.
Such a monumental occasion would explain his daughter's off-the-shoulder
dress. Washington County Historical Society (Minn.) collection (AMB003)
Horses were a large part of
daily life prior to the twentieth century. They provided real horse power,
which, compared to human power, was a distinct advantage. Ferriers, blacksmiths,
teamsters, were important workers of past centuries.
Click on image to view
an enlarged version.
This color-tinted post card from the
old Florence Inn, Tarrytown, New York, purports to show the inn in 1860
when it was the Vincent House, John Vincent, proprietor. It provides an
interesting study of urban lodging, conveyances and fashions. The three
coachmen appear to be wearing a uniform and not common apparel. A careful
study of the hats show that there was no one predominant style, although
the number of tall bowlers may indicate this to be a post-1860 photo. The Florence Inn was an important
stop for the New York-Albany stage. Its arrival brought mail and news from
afar. The list of VIPs who stayed here is lengthy. The book, History
of the Tarrytowns, Westchester County, New York from Ancient Times to the
Present, relates, "In its heyday, the Florence was a center of hospitality
where statesmen (including several U. S. presidents), celebrities and captains
of industry gathered to patronize the inn's stock of fine wines and to
feast upon prime ribs of beef that roasted in dripping richness upon the
roaring hearth." This inn stood at the northwest corner of Franklin Street
and Broadway for more than 140 years; it was torn down in 1964.
Updated 5 January 2002.