Pattern, Eastern Hunting Shirt

Missouri River Brand

Shirts of the style known today as the Eastern Longhunter Hunting Shirt were used well throughout the 1700s and into the early 1800s. Most men wore them over the one or more regular shirts that they wished to keep clean, and so these Hunting Shirts are quite roomy. The pull-over style, sometimes referred to as a waggoner’s frock, is from the French and Indian Wars period in the 1750s-60s, while the Open Front style had gained popularity by the Revolutionary War of the 1770s. These both were worn by working class people, including farmers, hunters, and militiamen. The material was not heavy, often either linen or a linen blend, and the garment may have been left plain or dyed with native dyes, such as walnut hulls.