Buff coat



The European is an item of leather  that was primarily worn by  and officers during the 17th century, but also worn by a small number of infantry. It was often worn under. The buff coat was derived from the simple leather employed by huntsmen and soldiers during the, these in turn deriving from the. The name of the jacket, as well as its characteristic tan or  colour, derives from the buffalo or hide from which it was commonly made.

Production, appearance and variation
The buff coat was worn as European military attire from around 1600 through to the 1680s. The origin of the term ‘buff’ in relation to the coat refers to leather obtained from the “European buffalo” (available sources do not specify what species this term means, but it most probably refers to the ), which also gave rise to the term  for its light tan colour. The only source of buffalo leather in the early 17th century was Germany. Most buff coats, however, were made from thick. While mainly worn for military use, its design reflects civilian styles fashionable during the early 17th century, with a high waist and flared extending to the thighs. It is related to the earlier sleeveless doublet or, likewise made of thick leather.

Made in sleeveless and sleeved variants, the very finest buff coats were made of the hide of the. was produced by a method of “oil tanning”; following treatment with lime the hide was scraped to remove the outer layer, which gave the finished product a matt surface. The hide then had cod oil worked into it in a process called ‘kicking’ and was finally air-dried. The oiling and drying steps could be repeated. The finished leather attained its characteristic buff colour and was supple, durable and weather resistant.

Due to the thickness of the leather, the seams of these coats were all butt-jointed, with hidden or partially hidden stitches. Thread holes were punched with an before stitching, since needles then in use could not puncture the hide. Extant examples are lined, either with coarse linen or silk. Closures included laces threaded through eyelets, buttons, loops, and clasps. All extant English examples are closed with hooks and eyes. Many high quality examples show apparent fastenings of gold or silver tape at the front, however, these were merely decorative, the real fastenings being hidden hooks and eyes attached to the inside of the join. Some of the highest quality buff coats, typically shown in portraits of officers, had multiple stripes of gold or silver lace running lengthwise down, or hooped around, the sleeves.

Most surviving examples have sleeves, but a minority are sleeveless. Removable sleeves were common for men's clothing in the 17th century. Sleeves could be of a single thickness of leather from shoulder to wrist, or alternatively of a double thickness from the shoulder to the elbow, with a single thickness, to allow freedom of movement, to the wrist. All buff coats had deep skirts attached, which protected the upper legs of the wearer. The thickest parts of the leather were generally placed so as to protect the wearer’s legs while on horseback. The extant collection of buff coats preserved at dating to 1649–1660, contains examples with leather varying from 0.06 to 0.22 in in thickness and entire coats weighing between 1.927 and(-).

Use
The coat provided some protection against cuts by swords and other edged weapons; however the buff coat was ineffective against thrusts; it was also ineffective as a protection from firearms, possibly excepting spent bullets. The buff coat was often worn under the plate armour, where it helped to cushion the wearer from chafing or bruising by the armour's edges. It was also worn on its own, as the buff coat was much more comfortable to wear for long periods of time than the cuirass. The finest quality buff coats were expensive, often much more so than the cuirasses typically issued to common soldiers, which may account for their widespread association with officers and other men of greater than average wealth.

The buff coat was used in place of armour by some soldiers during the and the. Together with the and cuirass it formed the basis of the equipment of the, the typical form of European cavalryman of the 17th century. Although worn by some, in battle it was mainly restricted to use by affluent cavalry troops. Buff coats were issued to a minority of in the  formations to give them some protection during. The buff coat was also worn by civilians requiring a protective and durable garment, such as huntsmen and men travelling on horseback.

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