What did Pirates ACTUALLY Wear? Fashion at Sea in the 18th c & Our Flag Means Death Costumes

[@Alex-Sews]

"Pirates are just privateers without permission slips" is SO accurate and SO hilarious. A wonderful deep dive, so to speak.

[@expatpiskie]

My family tree includes several Cornish privateers. When privateering ended they turned to smuggling rather than piracy.

[@moniquetroth]

@@expatpiskie There were plenty who did both as circumstances allowed, too. :) "Huh. Not much in the way of ships with a lot of wealth around here. Ooo, but these folks are willing to pay good money to get stuff they'd otherwise not be able to have...."

[@seastorm1979]

"you have a license for that"

[@phredphlintstone6455]

@@seastorm1979 yeah Right here 🖕

[@johnc6809]

Yes that was brilliant!😅

[@jenniferandrew3373]

Working on the ship in bare feet and saving the shoes for going ashore actually makes a lot of practical sense. As a kid on a farm, any job that involved mud was done barefoot. Feet are easy to wash off, and shoes are expensive.

[@sonipitts]

Not to mention that bare feet are often far grippier and able to sense slippage the moment it starts (essential on a constantly moving and often wet surface, let alone climbing around in and walking out on the rigging). And really, after you've been barefoot for even a month (or less) of hard foot labor in sun- and saltwater- soaked conditions, your soles (and likely the rest of your skin) essentially become self-healing, weatherproof leather on their own.

[@NebulousCreature]

But at the same time, those decks could have potentially gotten really hot in direct sunlight, making it painful to tread them barefoot

[@elizabethclaiborne6461]

Splinters.

[@matthewcraver9917]

Farms are notably lacking in two things that ordinary sailors spent all their time treading on: wooden decks and hempen rope shrouds you need to climb. Both are really harsh on feet and can tear them up.

[@tananario]

Constantly having your feet torn to shreds, in contaminated salt water. And no access to vaccines and antibiotics. No one is going to waste fresh water onboard, especially for things like washing feet. In soap.

[@sonipitts]

To additions to the benefits of wool: 1. Wool spun "in the grease" (aka without the natural lanolin washed out of it) is basically naturally waterproof, and you can re-infuse it with lanolin as needed as the stuff gets washed out by constant exposure to water and the occasional laundering. Most OG fisherman's sweaters and the like were spun and knit this way, and are basically the equivalent of a highly water resistant puffy coat in terms of protection and warmth. And materials for blankets, cloaks, overcoats and the like would be woven this way, as well. 2. Wool is naturally fireproof - it smolders, but does not burn under most normal conditions (especially when wet or damp, which it would be most of the time). Which is an attribute that would be extremely useful when living and working 24/7 on what was essentially an overcrowded, constantly moving tenement/workshop constructed of tar- and pitch-soaked wood, jute, and linen, on and within which fire was the chief (if not only) means of heating, cooking, lighting, and (in many cases) fighting. And of course, smoking cigars, pipes, and cigarettes. So yeah, walking around in what was essentially almost-waterproof, insulating fireman's garb was not only necessary for worker comfort, it was a key for not dying any number of horrific deaths that lurked in the potentiality of literally every daily action you performed.

[@jirup]

Kersey wasn't likely to be spun in the grease, although it was probably oiled with lanolin to make slops. Granted, wool is highly insulative even when soaking wet. Kersey was made from lower grade and large gauge yarn woven into an unbalanced (double warp, single weft) fabric. The outer face in 2/2 twill and inner face in 3/1. Napping and shearing the 3/1 face of the fabric produced a smooth surface for the inside on garments. For other uses the smooth side could be the outer face of the fabric. Apart from linsy-woolsy, kersey is my favourite historic fabric.

[@frida507]

The knitted sweater also seems practical I imagine if you are to climb and reach to work with sails, fishing nets and stuff. Like not restricting your movement.

[@frida507]

@@jirup I'm just guessing, but maybe, even if the wool was washed, in older times without modern chemicals and equipment for the process maybe there would be some oiliness left in the wool? Just speculating...

[@emmathomas2832]

What I got from this is that Pirates were so successful at selling their own personas that we know very little about them without it. Iconic

[@skjaldulfr]

Regarding barefoot: I was a deckhand (or technically an apprentice) on a tall ship for two three-week stints. I preferred to do it barefoot, for a couple reasons: (1) Traction--on the deck and on the ratlines. Traction is a serious concern on a sailing ship--the ship heels one way, then another, and it's always heaving on the waves, and the deck is repeatedly soaked down with seawater. Traction was especially a concern when we were making speed, such as when we raced. We were running fore and aft, trimming various sails, and tending various emergencies. (2) Wet feet. We swabbed the deck multiple times a day, which entailed dumping buckets of seawater on it (not only to clean the deck, by mopping it, but the repeated soaking made the timbers swell so that they remained water-tight, and there were not cracks that water could drip through to get below-deck). This would soak footwear, and that damp footwear would get very smelly. So I found it was better to simply work barefoot. Some of my crewmembers did wear footwear because they were afraid of stubbing their toes, but the footwear they wore was Keen sandals. This wasn't a particularly warm sea either--it was Maine. I'd be wearing Carhart pants (rolled up to below my knees), a sweatshirt, and no shoes. The idea of wearing historical 18th Century shoes to sail, which I imagine are like dress shoes, seems like a bad idea.

[@curiousfirely]

Sailing is also how vibram 5-fingers got started - to provide some protection while maintaining grip. Long before vibram became shoes for fancy runners.

[@pirateyarn6331]

This and. a couple of weeks at sea and you'd have calluses everywhere (nature's natural protection). Having sailed (a modern) sailing ship in the rain, I'd only wear shoes if it was freezing out.

[@jayneterry8701]

Tfs

[@bustedkeaton]

Thats great insight thank you for adding it in

[@rosemarielee7775]

How would they avoid frostbite in Arctic and Southern Oceans?

[@CassiBlack]

As pirates are a particularly favorite topic of mine, I have to share some anecdotes I’ve come across over the years: Sewing was still a big part of being in the US Navy as of the Vietnam War. My uncle was a navy sailor and was the only sibling of 4 who knew how to sew. By his time it was mostly taught so they could repair their uniforms while at sea. The importance of hats for pirates can be seen in what is called “The Notorious Hat Raid.” Benjamin Hornigold’s crew attacked and boarded a merchant ship near Honduras in 1717. To the merchants relief, Hornigold told them they were only after hats. His crew had gotten drunk the night before and decided to throw their hats overboard for a laugh, as you do. The pirates took the merchants’ hats and left without harming anyone. (Whether or not this is real, I’m not sure as I don’t remember which books I read this in!) Some pirates were very into fashion! Calico Jack (Captain Jack Rackham) got his name due to his preference for flamboyant, colorful clothing made from expensive Indian dyes. He also had, imho, the most iconic Jolly Roger, with a skull and cross swords. He wasn’t a very successful pirate and is probably remembered mainly due to having both Anne Bonny and Mary Read as part of his crew. Oh, and he was at least partially the inspiration for Captain Jack Sparrow! If anyone needs evidence as to why tricornio hats and bucket boots were a bad choice for sailors, look no further than the issues encountered while filming the Pirates of the Caribbean movies! Jack’s hat flew off into the sea from the wind so many times that the costumers decided to make it out of rubber instead of leather so it would float and be retrieved. The boots the characters wore on scenes where they walked in the surf would become so full of water that the actors couldn’t keep them on when they stepped. Eventually it was decided to drill holes in the bottoms so they would drain while they walked. Sorry for the lengthy post, I’m just really passionate about pirates! 🏴‍☠️ Drink up me hearties, yo ho!

[@michelleb2996]

🏴‍☠️

[@lesallison9047]

🏴‍☠️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@reneedailey1696]

Ooooooh, I never knew all this! Was there a making-of feature I missed??

[@CassiBlack]

@@reneedailey1696 The boot story was in the special features of Dead Man’s Chest (I think), but I can’t remember for sure where I saw/heard the hat one.

[@reneedailey1696]

@@CassiBlack OK thanks!! It's been forever since I watched the extras for POTC, you've just convinced me to do just that!

[@fernandafuentes6858]

I think ofmd is the definition of learn the rules and then break them, you can tell the team did their research and only took the parts that served them for the narrative and the aesthetic it's brilliant

[@NicoleRudolph]

My biggest difference between OFMD and other "historical" shows is that I feel like they understood the history, rather than just glanced at it, and interpreted it their own way. I feel the same way about Moulin Rouge. It's less "we can't do that, so close enough" and more "I like it, but how can we make it MORE"

[@spameranne]

@@NicoleRudolph ah, thank you for better articulating how and why moulin rouge! works for me better than I've ever been able to do. this, but MORE. what might one call this kind of aesthetic approach? like, coinage-wise in a semi-academic sense? like some sort of neo-expressivist-historical-realism/creative revisionism....thingy? as a costuming approach it's evocative af, and brilliantly efficient in helping to establish the tone of the show. (apologies for gushing so, but ofmd just warms my heart so very much and I'm thrilled that it's getting such well deserved love from so many different communities, and like, proper academic attention. thanks for covering it!)

[@missvioletnightchild2515]

@@NicoleRudolph omg yes to both of these! The spirit of what they're doing is most definitely *there*, unlike other shows. The Great does have that to an extent too (in terms of clothes, not HA 😂😂)

[@seraphimazriel]

I saw a tiktok that was basically "they did all the research, then threw the papers in the air and whichever ones they grabbed were the ones they were gonna make accurate."

[@marjoriethompson3790]

I’m pretty sure the sewing box had wax in it and I got excited.

[@danielles6896]

Physician and garment-maker here: there's a weirdly large amount of overlap between sewing skin and sewing fabrics. Surgeon's knots are a great way to manage thread tails in places like darts. Also, I strongly recommend horizontal mattress stitches for repair of dog plushies.

[@TheMetatronGirl]

Former Surg Tech and maker here-tying sutures with a needle driver and forceps is the same principle and technique used for “flipping the knot” in shuttle tatting. It blew my instructor’s mind how fast and neatly I could tie sutures.

[@nancyreid8729]

I took my dog’s spay sutures out myself rather than drive an hour to the vet; no big deal, of course. But on our next trip to the vet, I told him “nice mattress sutures, by the way. You sew really well!” He was flattered that I noticed and mentioned it.

[@lotharbeck71]

I LOVE wearing tricorn hats, but my GOD they are one of the most impractical hats ever designed that had widespread use.

[@NicoleRudolph]

Do you want a hat that is jaunty but serves none of the purposes of a hat? Well have I got something for you!

[@sonipitts]

@@NicoleRudolph 🤣 I think the mortarboard🎓 could give the tricorn a run for its money, tho.

[@m.maclellan7147]

@@NicoleRudolph perhaps a history of the Tricorn hat is in order ?

[@lotharbeck71]

@@NicoleRudolph they do look fantastic... but yeah, hot in the summer, cold in the winter, and they are absolutely rain gutters...

[@lady_sir_knight3713]

@@sonipitts What is a mortarboard but a quadcorn squished flat? :P

[@koira163]

Just a wild guess but could the "stick" have been used as some sort of stabilizer. Because after months on sea, walking on the ground can feel very weird, hence the stereotypical "drunken" walk sailors in fiction have

[@sonipitts]

That, and a handy cudgel. Because are you even a sailor if you're not spending the majority of your shore leave getting into drunken brawls or chased out of some amenable woman's house by her husband, brother, or father.

[@blktauna]

@@sonipitts or indeed if the Bill or Her MAjesty's Navy tried to shanghai you... well...

[@carrieschutrick8550]

It's probably a belaying pin, being toted as a legal self-defense weapon.

[@elfieblue3175]

Likely a walking stick and self-defense tool that isn't (mis)understood as looking for a fight. You probably weren't going to back down from a fight, and you probably weren't going to care too much about starting one, but swords were expensive and difficult to hide. Dress like a sailor and walk into town with a sword, and you have your movements scrutinized from the get-go. The utility knife is great at close quarters, but you don't want to close the distance if you don't have to.

[@kallandar13]

My first thought was definitely brawling over use for walking. But that may be more to do with fictional representations of sailors than anything else, I’m not sure.

[@joletapetty6706]

Re: shoes v bare foot - I sailed on a small tall ship, the Young Endeavour, for 11 days when I was 19 and I would agree that they did spend a lot of time barefoot, I know we did. There's several factors at play. Like you said, there's a lot of situations which get your feet soaked which will wreck the material of your shoes and also keeps moisture on your feet which breeds bacteria and infection. It's also often more slippery with shoes on, even my sneakers with very grippy rubber soles and I can't imagine trying to run and haul ropes on rain-slick decks in the middle of a storm with leather-soled shoes! Climbing the ropes was the only time I really wanted my shoes to protect my soft feet, but again these were modern sneakers with extremely flexible soles, so I actually think, with feet already hardened by walking about the deck, they might prefer bare feet here too, because you have the added advantage of toes to hold onto the ropes. Lack of primary evidence may simply be one of those "so obvious it doesn't stand mentioning" things

[@dianamvd]

I have been in sailboats all my life because that's my father's hobby. And when you were talking about shoes I kept thinking "why they weren't bare foot?". That's my prefer way of walking around in boats because I feel much more stable. That or a specific type of loafers.

[@myragroenewegen5426]

A lot of the most classic pirate stuff makes at least some real sense. An eye patch actually might have come into our associations not so much because of damaged eyes (although sure--that could happen easily when using weapons and living poor) but because such a patch could be a tool for seeing more quickly below deck if you were running back and forth rapidly fighting and plundering. Eyes take time to adjust to lower light below deck, but switch an eye patch from one eye to another running below deck and the eye you're using to see is already acclimatized to dark--a handy trick. Bandanas strike me as popular for the million reasons all laborers and outdoorspeople carry them, but also for further shading and protecting seldom-washed hair.

[@myragroenewegen5426]

@Christopher Johnson I'm fairly okay here in Toronto (Canada) with the virus. Vaccination is pretty good here, but I feel like choices to open up or not are often more politically than medically guided, so even when I can enjoy fewer COVID restrictions, I never feel things are as safe as they should be. I'm just always more uneasy than I ever was before. Happiness, prosperity and love to you too,in any case. What's your engineering work like in New York? I'm hoping to be painting murals with a community centre groups here soon and some of the local theatres are opening, for now.

[@myragroenewegen5426]

@Christopher Johnson It's perfect over here. Sun and light wind . I'll be rushing to get the garden in, with the frost over.

[@thewol7534]

Regarding eye patches, sometime look up one of those documentary shows about what a cannon ball does to the wooden hull of a sailing ship. A lot of sailors on the gun deck. lost more than an eye that way.

[@MB-st7be]

The eye patch for seeing in the dark is one of the silliest made-up fake 'facts'. Nobody did that.

[@Chibihugs]

I never really question how we got the imagery we use for pirates before. I am happy to slide down this extremely interesting rabbit hole.

[@Acidshag]

I know next to nothing about historically accurate clothing BUT all the costumes in Black Sails have me trying to figure out how to dress like a fictionalised pirate from my existing wardrobe.

[@cheyannelencioni9394]

Black Sails is so good

[@85tiffanyh]

Love these breakdowns of dress with all the context and nuance that comes with it. Also, outfit is 11/10!

[@thewol7534]

Loose fitting clothing is easier to climb in, particularly the legs of the breeches and the arms of shirts, waistcoats and jackets. Sailors spend a good deal of time up in the rigging furling and unfurling sails. I was told by a person who was in the US Navy during WWII that the reason for the bell bottom trousers in the sailor's uniform is so that if they went overboard, they could get out of them quickly, as the wool trousers would become waterlogged and drag them under, so breeches you can get out of easily for that reason. The uniform trousers also had a fall front -- zippers rust.

[@ThisIs-xu1dw]

They didn't have zippers in the 1700s

[@grumpysphinx4911]

​@@ThisIs-xu1dw I think they meant the WWII uniforms

[@anska7475]

I can totally sympathize with a love for patterns because they look tidy for longer and a love for knitted caps because they are great in general. The decorated one from the Carlton looks also very cute and has just become a new knitting-aspiration.

[@tjs114]

I'm trying to remember where it was, but I vividly remember references to sailing ships having their decks 'sanded' regularly and often. I believe it was to make the surface have a slight grip and remove splinters since much of the crew was running about barefoot. Ah, found it. On good old wikipedia look up Holystone.

[@TheMetatronGirl]

Delightful! It was great to learn what historians think real pirates wore. You’re absolutely right about the historical Easter eggs…there are some fabulous references!! Historically accurate to the time period or not, the show is fantastic, as are your videos.

[@missvioletnightchild2515]

This was so interesting! I had no idea there was so little primary source material. I loved realising on rewatch that Blackbeard wears fall-front leather trousers. That was such a fun detail to notice 😅

[@RariettyC]

Another aspect I appreciate about dressing Blackbeard's crew in more modern leather garb is that it enforces how ahead of Stede's crew they are in skill, to the point where Ed considers piracy as something trivial and easy. I also really admire how it builds into Ed's arc, where he feels alienated from the "modern" (1717) upper-class culture that Stede represents (to the point where Ed is shown in modern t-shirts multiple times). He's so "ahead of his time" that he has become trapped within a mythologized version of himself, and he's completely separated from the rest of society outside of piracy for it. Spoilers, but: .... .... .... .... .... It's definitely not a coincidence either that, during much of the last two episodes, he spends a lot of time wearing the same (more historically-accurate) clothing as Stede, and that's when he becomes more upfront with his feelings (and he is subsequently hurt for it, resulting in him retreating back into leather as he isolates himself again, basically giving up his personhood to become the monster that Blackbeard myths describe him as).

[@eddiel7635]

However, Blackbeard was also upperclass, most likely from a Jamaican plantation family. Had a large library on board, this is also why they got on.

[@margotmolander5083]

Since you’re doing an amazing job on pirates, and you’ve done an amazing job with the Muppet Christmas Carol, may I plea for a video on the accuracy (and not) of the costumes in Muppet Treasure Island?

[@poppybell87]

That's an amazing idea!

[@Bellamy_13]

all in favor say aye

[@G_off_7]

Aye!

[@gerrimilner9448]

apparently hemp linnen was the most usall fabric for sails in the uk at this time. also waxing/oiling fabric was verry common, vegtable oils mixed or not with beeswax, barber jackets still use this as tar was hard to use as it needed to be hot to use

[@nielcassidy8295]

21:15 and 28:04 re:leather and salt water... There is one type of leather that us an exeption to the water destroying it rule... oak-bark tanned leather treated with wool grease is waterproof enough to use as the hull for ocean sailing ships... from what I've read the smell would likely discourage most people from wearing it... but if was an option that would have been availble...

[@tommi3259]

There are some contemporary sources mentioning golden age pirates wearing stolen fashionable clothing also on sea. For example, there's one report that I unfortunately don't remember that well where a passenger of a robbed ship told that the pirates came to the ship on a long boat with two a bit weirdly-dressed noblemen at the lead who first offered to buy luxuries that were being transported on the ship before revealing themselves as pirates in the end. During that time pirate crews were different from ordinary merchant crews in two important ways. First, the pirate crews were usually much larger. A ship that would normally run with a 20 man crew could well have 100 pirates on board. This meant that each individual pirate had to do much less physical work than a normal sailor and they had much more free time. This meant that it was not as important to wear practical clothing as it was for normal sailors. The second difference is that the pirate identity of the time stressed freedom. Pirates were the free men, common sailors were the slaves. There was an explicit rejection of the standards of the general society. Instead of accepting the hierarchy where their betters told them what to do, golden age pirates were fiercely democratic. Part of this rejection was wearing clothes that were not appropriate for common sailors. For most pirates, stolen clothing gave them the first opportunity to dress fashionably in their lives so it is probable that quite a few of them took the opportunity. Of course, a single captured ship will not provide enough fine clothes for a whole pirate crew to wear, and probably 10 captures will not be enough for that. At least among some crews the captured clothes were distributed among the members who went over board to the capture. For example, Bartholomew Roberts had in his crew articles a paragraph that stated that all men who went on board the prize would get a new set of clothes.

It's possible that the stick was to keep certain animals at bay, like rats and stray dogs. I know in many places in the colonies (not just in the Caribbean) wild cats, hungry dogs, and rats were a huge problem and people would go out for a stroll with a stick to fend themselves from the animals.

[@lizhart81]

That's a good idea! I was just thinking that sailors on shore leave would have money and not much local knowledge, making them obvious targets for thieves. Also, it would be quite useful for stability until it feels like the solid ground has stopped moving after a while on board ship. Maybe it's a mixture of all of these reasons, plus some we'd never even think of that would be completely obvious to contemporary people.

[@MB-st7be]

Men have carried sticks as a general weapon since prehistory, I didn't think there's any mystery to be solved there

[@Rozewolf]

A delightful clothing romp. Towards the end as you were discussing the practicality of certain items of clothes, I could hear Cary Elway's voice rattling on about black being very practical, masks being comfortable, and how it was the costume that made the pirate. (which was very spot on from what you were saying.) Looking forward to the next episode.

[@HarleyQuinn62]

Vibes > Historical Accuracy. A lot of my favorite "historical" shows/movies pay more attention to getting people to understand what it was like then by showing it through a modern lens. Look at A Knights Tale, you get the idea of the excitement and the stuff surrounding jousting with the modern looking outfits and music, so its easier to understand what the people of the past might have felt. So with Our Flag Means Death, you get the idea that Stede was stuffy because of his fancy clothes, but you get the evil vibes from Blackbeard and his crew with the black and leather.

[@bellablue5285]

Have to admit I can't decide if I want to laugh or cringe every time Blackbeard's crew are shown in more detail and they look like they've wandered in from a leather club... I can't imagine leather in the salt/wet/sun was particularly common or pleasant, but eh, it's an aesthetic I suppose

[@narnigrin]

Nicole: "And... salt water does a number on leather." Me: *immediately thinks of of OFMD Blackbeard, the Heavy Metal Goth Sea Biker™* Thanks for bringing that up later on - I wouldn't expect any less from this channel! Ngl though, I do very much adore the rampant anachronism of that show, and how it's casually mixed in with the historically correct aspects. From a show perspective, it is such delightful fun.

[@woltews]

that stick is almost certainly a weapon when people are not allowed to carry a hanger or sword , remember sailors needed a way to defend themselves from press gangs , footpads and muggers . But the main threat is really the press gang

[@kida4star]

I love how in depth you go to research something as ‘simple’ and fun as dressing a pirate. Totally here for it!

[@DebiSmithPouliot]

We tend to be gender biased with what is thought of as "women's work". My grandparents were all born in the late 1800s. My GRANDFATHER taught me how to knit when I was about 9 or 10 years old. We tend to forget that at that time in history, late 1800s and early 1900s there weren't department stores to purchase garments. People needed stockings or socks. When a boy lived at home, most likely his mother or sisters would knit them. But if he left home and wasn't married, he would have to either pay a woman to knit them or learn to knit himself. Grandpa knew how to knit as it was a necessity for him in his youth. He probably knew how to do basic sewing also.

[@lauralake7430]

My grandpas brothers both learned to knit when they were small, because they were sick for a long time with pneumonia. Sick in bed? Make them useful hours! He never learned, he said, because he never really got sick. I mean imagine keeping two kids in bed busy with no tv, not more than 2 or 3 books in the house, no money, but plenty of socks needing knitting! Grandpas born in 1909, was the youngest

[@BirdiNerdi1225]

The lack of acknowledgement of the dog wearing a wig at 2:50 XD

[@skirtedgalleons]

OMG!

[@NicoleRudolph]

His name is apparently Trump and I'm glad you spotted my favorite easter egg of the whole video! 😂

[@m.maclellan7147]

Definitely a PUG. That is what the early pugs looked like ! Thanks for pointing that Easter Egg out. Worth scrolling back for !

[@lenabreijer1311]

"Swagger sticks" were still used in WWI. At that time they were encouraged so that the men didn't walk around with their hands in their pockets in uniform apparently as it looked sloppy.

[@kholden2678]

Through an interest in my family history, a theatrical background, and my love of Muppets I came across your videos. Partly as a way of investigating the possibility of historical reenacting. This one in particular crosses the history of my family at some interesting points which I will reveal below. I have a large maritime and Royal Navy history. Your focus on sailors in general provided some good material to consider for accurate representations. Thank you for that! First, at 14:25 in your video you show a scrap of sail from the HMS Terror on the Franklin Expedition. The First mate of the HMS Terror was Frederick John Hornby. Through King Edward III he was my 14th cousin 10x removed. There is the possibility of a connection in the 5th cousin range through the naval family of Byng. Parks Canada is continuing the archaeological work on the wreck site and we await new discoveries from the wreck. The scrap of sail was a nice surprise in your video, thank you for sharing. Second, I am presently tracing a family connection to the pirate Henry Mainwaring 1587-1653. For a pirate to appear in a Royal Navy family line, this one will be interesting to explore. Third, my 3rd great uncle William Dawson had a career in the Royal Navy that is documented in family papers to cover entry as a Midshipman to his career as Post Captain. Along the way he served on board The Amiable and the Babet under Jemmet Mainwaring. William contracted scurvy and was sent home to recover. Shortly afterward his ship and crew was lost in a storm at sea in 1801. At 9:56 in your video you posted a list of clothes needed for sailors. The Royal Armouries posted a video of the Life and Career of William Dawson based on family letters which include a handwritten shopping list from 3 July 1795 when his father took him shopping for the clothing he would need when he boarded the Malabar. You can see this video in the link below. You can see the list at the 20:27 mark of the Royal Armouries video. Royal Armouries KZbin Channel Winter lecture - The life and career of Captain William Dawson RN kzbin.info/www/bejne/rH6oaGd6gqx1aaM

[@katieoldford2582]

If I remember correctly the ensemble cast had a fair amount of input in creating their character's looks too, I think Samba Schutte (who plays Roach) talks about it in an interview where he's talking about choosing Roach's tattoos!

[@lizb7271]

If I'm not mistaken, officers in some countries are still expected to buy some of the more formal uniform items from private tailors at their own expense.

[@NicoleRudolph]

Even the US Navy does uniform stipends and requires the enlisted to purchase their own uniform pieces. It's basically "here's your pay and we expect you to use about this much of it to buy the stuff we require you to have"

[@kninjaknitter8190]

In 1988, I paid for my “dress blues”, the more formal army uniform. They cost about the same as my wedding dress. I sold them to another lieutenant when I left active duty.

[@moniquetroth]

@@NicoleRudolph And $Diety help you if you're of an odd size they don't have in the base stores. (Source: my brother wears size 16/17 shoes & had to special-order his Navy dress shoes because they didn't carry anything larger than a 15. He could squeeze into those for the working shoes (& could sometimes find shoes in "regular" stores that looked the part & fit a wee bit better), but dress shoes are a whole 'nother critter. At one point, the only place he could find that had the right type of shoe in his size was a place that specialized in clown shoes.)

[@mialemon6186]

Considering the prices I saw while buying replacement boots/shirts/etc for my ex, the US may as well be charging soldiers private tailor rates.... Boots especially. Yikes. So much pain caused when my ex developed a bad habit of getting things in such a shit shape I couldn't clean or repair it. 🙃

[@pagodrink]

When you mentioned that Sailors liked to carry around sticks for an unknown reason, all I can think I about is the Lemme Smash video with the birds: "This is a nice stick, I like sticks *peck* *peck* "

[@kelleenbrx6649]

It's fun to have a stick, just because...

[@johnc6809]

The stick was a jaunty bit of sailor shore going rig, that was very handy as protection. Cudgels were carried by Pressgangs, as persuaders. The wharves and ports were full of criminals waiting on the shore going Tars. Many were robed, assaulted, mugged for their pay. Having a stick was a sign to would be attackers, that you were not to be trifled with. I sew 18th century sailor duds to period designs using period stitches and techniques. I also do canvas work and have hand finished my own sails. When at sea Thursdays there would be a watch period set aside for “Make and Mend”. Where sailors repaired their clothes, made up new ones, or altered Slops stuff to fit better. The Carlton of Whidby jacket has a tailoring seam cut into the center back, which doesn’t extend to the collar. It was used to take the jacket in at the waist. Great introduction to this topic. Very good of you to point out, that depending on circumstances, sailors and pirates were the same creature. Dressed much the same. Thanks also for pointing out that shore going rig ain’t working rig.

[@spameranne]

hurrah!! more pirate content please 🥺 (that's the emoji that comes up for "begging," lol) I'd love to hear....basically anything you possibly could have to say about this show :) true story here, i think of you fondly during the fancy ship party in ep 5 - who else can I trust on these choppy digital waters to give it to me straight about how the purple silk velvety-looking suit blackbird was wearing would have *actually* been produced before the invention of aniline dyes. I think we're fairly post-sumptuary laws in 1717, but I can't quite figure out how decadent that suit really is. it feels like a such a delightful and fascinating bit of characterization, too.

[@ChristopherDimitriousPhanara]

I love your presentation and objective view. As a Navy Parachute Rigger our ancient beginnings were as Sail Makers and we learned how to sew in all aspects. We has something called a "Sail Makers" palm. It was a leather plam no finger tips and a wax pad in the center. we even had what was called "Sail" needles. Appreciate your view and aspects. Thanks Nicole!!!!

[@ZwarteKonijn]

For cloth material, there was probably also a lot of hemp! I did a school project years ago in college about hemp as a cloth material for clothing, and learned about the vast history of hemp being used as a cloth material through the ages. I think hemp would probably be a re-occurring material because it was very similar to linen, stronger than cotton, and great for different kinds of weather due to it's strong fibers, water absorbance yet quick to dry, making it both great for winters as summers on sea. To add cloth made of hemp is anti-bacterial, so it prevents clothing for getting weird smells. I can think that it was more for on ships than off ships, but I think it would make great sense that a lot of clothes on the ship would be made of (at least partly) hemp. It was also heavily used in sails and ropes, most sails were made of hemp back then. Hemp only started being used less, I think around the start of the 20th century, due to it being replaced by other materials. There is actually a lot of practical knowledge lost about hemp as it was used, it was often combined with another material like cotton or wool or linen, each given it a different feeling and effect, and quality to the clothes (through maybe there is more knowledge back about it know, back when I did the project it was super hard to find anything about the practical part of hemp cloth making, which was what I actually wanted to know).

[@monicapuccetti3310]

As a woman with long hair who lives on a sailboat in hot climates I can 100% throw practically behind the bandanna to keep hair slightly less chaotic in wind and not burn your scalp when it’s too windy to keep a hat on (once the wind gets over 20 knots even a modern well fitting hat with a strap under the chin will not stay on and instead end up choking you while flapping about on your back). I can also attest that barefoot is the best grip/safest to not slip when you go forward in big seas or say beating into the wind, I only wear shoes when my feet are cold (doesn’t happen much where we are in the tropics) and I only have one pair of sailing boots that I trust their grip (Dubarrys are the best).

[@keiranbbb]

Man, for every video I wish you would write a whole book on the topic you're covering 😂 It's all SO INTERESTING and delightful and I really really appreciate the level of depth and good research involved. It sucks that so many "history" books are written with hasty crap "research" and are often just surface level--I'd love to read a whole 500 page volume on these topics if they were written like these videos are presented. Very cool!

[@marieroberts5458]

I love this video! It's really well thought out and researched and I appreciate all the work put into it. You touched upon this in your essay? video? but if you wouldn't mind my adding my two cents or perhaps repeating the comments of others (as I have not read all 200+ comments) I'd be grateful. Some time ago, I ran across commentary by an expert in costumes and clothing from the period of Pirates of the Caribbean (the first movie). The essayist was a bit put out that in a big budget film, that they couldn't do a least a little research and not mix the clothes from different eras into a blender. Now don't get me wrong, it takes almost as much effort to get it wrong as to get it right, so there isn't as much of an excuse to not pay some attention to what you are doing, especially now adays when the research is not only done but often readily available with a few minutes or hours of internet time. But I don't think even people as knowledgeable as yourself often bring out the fact that as recently as the 1970s, everyone reused everything. Not just the poor, but all the way to the rich (when I would comment on why a rich person didn't just throw X away, I'd be told, how do you think they got to be rich? It wasn't by wasting money!). Case in point, my mother was born 1920 in Quebec Province, Canada. She lived in a very rural area and lived through the Great Depression. The family was never dirt poor, but they never considered themselves much more than working class, and certainly not well-off for many a decade. So all the habits that she saw and obtained growing up stayed with her. How she treated clothing was one. When I was 5, I had a favorite knee length dress, long sleeved and no waist, just poofy. When I completely out grew it, and there were no other children that she knew who could use it, she decided to solve an issue she was having...I wasn't a sloppy girl, but I never could seem to not drip, drop, dribble or spill food or especially sauces on myself, even with a paper napkin under my chin. And ketchup and soy sauce stain. So she cut out the sleeves of my old cotton dress made the neck hole bigger, and until I was in my teens, that was my bib/napkin/coverall at the kitchen table. Saved Mommy from tearing her hair out pretreating and scrubbing my clothes and saved the clothes (once something was stained, it had to be turned into something else, because you couldn't wear it or give it away, it was stained!) Another time, I had outgrown a very light cotton jacket, and she had an old worn out dress. So those two pieces of clothing became the slipcovers/new upholstery for two chairs (one oversized, the other my wooden pottie chair, so no one would know it was a pottie chair). Other mothers and women in the community would regularly get together to exchange clothes, mostly hand me downs for the kids, but their own clothes would get swapped around too (this doesn't fit me any more, but I think you'll look great, don't you have that wedding to go to in the fall?). There wasn't a single textile that wasn't either passed on or refurbished. My mother didn't quilt, but she made rag rugs, and when she didn't have rags, she'd use the bread bags that Wonder or SaraLee bread came/comes in. Then there was Mommy's old fur coats, a beautiful shearling (?) coat and a seal coat. They had been in storage for decades with my grandmother (since Mommy thought it wasn't cold enough for them in NJ back then and later she died) and Grandmama thought I was old enough for a good warm coat. So she had an expert furrier come in and refurbish and retailor the coat to fit me and to eighty-six the bell sleaves of the 30s/40s to something a bit more updated for the 80s. (Oh and I still have that coat). But what's my point? Textiles didn't last, not only because they would turn to dust over the centuries, but because they would become something else long before they could disintegrate, something you might not even recognize as a set of breaches or a night shirt. Everything was reused or recycled until there was absolutely nothing left. So when someone looks at not just poor people, but all people wearing clothes that were out of fashion, it's more true to life than an expert might credit (which doesn't make the observation any less valid, the showrunners and execs might not care less about an 18th century bodice in a 16th century costume epic, or figure that one of the March girls of the pre-Civil War era wearing Uggs as, hey that looks olde timey). A cabin boy might have a coat that his grandfather wore. A pirate might steal a chest of 'good' clothes that had been preserved for decades and would have the 'wrong' style, but if you still cut a dashing figure in port in a 1680 sleeve? Who cares?? And if some busybodies do, well, the cutlass can do the talking. That's why I think that if something is older than the period, then you are still good for verisimilitude, but not if you time travel along...but Blackbeard (or Black Adder, or Shakespeare or the Doctor) can do whatever the hell they like. Thanks for letting me rant.

[@johannayaffe2647]

the expression 'jolly Jack Tar' to refer to a sailor makes so much sense now!

[@lady_sir_knight3713]

Yes, it's rather like calling farmers John Ploughman. Which I think they also did.

[@JoyWandrey]

I just recently found "our flag means death" and am enjoying it immensely. this video makes me enjoy it more, thank you! I did notice the tailors palm, and thought "omg, they included that!" so I get what you're saying about the little accuracies they have included, it stands out when you know anything at all about historical dress and work. can't wait to see the video about the waistcoat, it's gorgeous, especially with that shirt! Well done!

[@manythingslefttobuild]

Yes acknowledgement to the lovely waist coat you made. Also to the dog sitting upright in a chair with a wig and documents at 2:52

[@kirstenpaff8946]

The Victorians made shit up and passed it off as history? Gasp...so shocking...🤣

[@jayneterry8701]

How do you know for sure that isn't happening now?

[@IDoDeclareify]

Love love loved this so much!!! Tbh that one set of extant sailors garments looks so dang comfy. I need a version for lounging!

[@maicey_t.]

Hell yeah, transport me, Nicole. I love listening to you talk historical clothing.

[@keric3730]

Didn't mention braids in this. In one fiction book I read (Treasure island?) our young hero tars the bottom of his braid to make his hair stick together and get it out of his face. The local Target didn't supply scrunchies back then

[@Trassel242]

That’s something I also remember from reading Treasure Island as a kid. I think, but may be wrong, that braiding your hair and then tarring the braid to keep it in one place and so on was a thing for certain fishermen and sailors in my native Sweden, as well. Probably pirates too, Sweden didn’t have a lot of pirates per se but we did have a lot of privateers, so that’s pretty much the same thing.

[@katecraig2974]

Sailmaking is super different! My husbands hand sewing experience is related to sailing. When he patches his clothing be does it like he is patching a sail and its super "over built".

[@babydrane8402]

I really enjoyed this. Can't wait for the next one. Also, so sad to hear there aren't primary sources for pirate dress. I thought for sure there would be more in shipwrecks around the world or something. oh well...

[@lensessions]

This was way more informative and entertaining than expected!

[@SirenaSpades]

I am now completely obsessed with your channel. Amazing stuff.

[@dawidpaczynski3771]

Amazing video, Nicole's knowledge on the subject is eerily vast and you can tell she is having so much fun talking about it. Love it. Towards the end there's a question if pirates knew how to sew, I think that is a definite yes as sail maintenance required it. (Sails could be damaged by environmental factors, gunfire, improper handling... But without sails one would risk getting the whole ship and crew stuck, so it was imperative to be able to patch them on sea)

[@evelyneca7454]

Wonderful! Thank you for sharing your knowledge! Just delightful to learn about all this. OFMD is such a good show. You can tell there are people on the team that created it that really love history and pirates.

[@beckyjo0207]

Your videos are such gems. I've enjoyed everyone I've watched.

[@emkessler4294]

Thanks!

[@dees3179]

Sooooo close to 100k subs. Congratulations Nicole. I’m loving your videos. Even with the parts I’m more familiar with you always make me think.

[@yarlis8]

Ive been looking for videos of pirate clothing explained a few years back, and honestly non of them compared to how good and informative this video was. Thank you!!!

[@hollyingraham3980]

Wool is not heat stroke on a bolt. "Tropical wools" are a thing, thin and unfulled. We live in the tropics, not semi-tropics. I made three long sleeved shirts for my husband, the bank vp. One was matte silk, one was cotton, and one from tropical wool. The last was always the most comfortable on a muggy summer day. It breathes, it absorbs and distributes sweat for evaporation, you don't chill walking into a\c. So you don't have to do contortions about how chilly it would get to believe that they wore wool.

[@samrader832]

Thank you for your thorough review of the functionality of pirate clothing! Much appreciated in my thinking on how to wear more protective clothing on the regular. Linen and leather shall be added!

[@Aleksandrawizz]

So glad you did an outfit reveal at the end, I started drawing it halfway through since I loved it so much (obviously I couldn’t see it all and I didn’t realise it was a two-piece outfit so I drew it as a dress) but love it! And the video! And you!

[@berlineczka]

Would you consider reviewing the costumes of the TV series "The Black Sails"? AFAIK, there isn't any made of it. The series take place in the early 18th century in the West Indies and depicts a wide variety of sailors and pirates.

[@ForgeMasterXXL]

The Stick: Looking at the imagery that you have used in this video it would appear that the ubiquitous stick is actually a swagger stick/cane. These lighter weight sticks were slightly flexible and could be used as a weapon of sorts. As a collector of antique walking and swagger sticks, I can comment on the fact you find a lot of C18 & C19th swagger sticks with beautiful scrimshaw tops on them. Whether this ties back to sailors or not I cannot give you a primary resource, it’s purely gut instinct on my part.

[@Beardedfurflinger]

Stumbled on your channel while searching & very informative,as a Navy Veteran intriguing concept of clothing,what we perceive as a pirates clothing is for the most part Hollywood & there to attract your attention,as you stated pirates were sailors & as such what they wore was worn to serve a purpose not for show,was by all means a hard short life & most definitely like their weapons what they got from other ships they plunder or pillaged.

[@shevaunhandley1543]

I do have to say however that the most common type of cloth used by sailors would have been hemp. Sails and rope were made hemp and hemp canvas, and I believe that hemp would also have been common to the poor as well since it grows like a weed and is fibrous like linen. It would be extremely interesting to hear about the use of hemp as a textile.

[@autumn7143]

This was cool to watch and learn. I love the outfit too!!! You look piratish while looking well dressed.

[@ishtarelisheba]

All of this actual historical pirate content is SO DELIGHTFUL. Thank you for this entire series. Also, interesting note - Izzy Hands was very likely the basis for Captain Hook. :D

[@yourweirdauntperfumeryskin3236]

You earn a like just for showing an illustration of Captain Avery (or Every - depending on who you ask), an ancestor of mine. But I really love how deeply you dig into the history. So fascinating. Your channel is truly a joy to watch!

[@LucretiaPearl]

The Monmouth Cap is the first kind of hat I've learned to knit. Definitely cozy in wool or alpaca yarn!

[@rebeccasabin480]

I love the waistcoat. Those sleeves are fantastic and your happy enthusiastic bobbing is adorable 🥰

[@michaelflynn3970]

Wonderful video and super helpful! I enjoy the occasional outing to the Ren fair, and pirates seems to be the theme for my group this year. That being said I like to add my touch of realism when I can. This was wonderful for that! Thanks!

[@annw7843]

This is one of my favorite videos that you’ve ever made!

[@piperevelyn2446]

Absolutely fantastic video! I Love the show so much, so it is fun to learn more about the era. I was so curious about your shirt/waistcoat, but I guess I have to wait some time to see how you made it.

[@jmarshal]

A great video on one of my favorite topics. Thanks!

[@euansmith3699]

Another great video, and enthusiastically showing off the costume at the end was lovely.

[@fpassow1]

The stick was a standard gentleman's accessory. And it's a big stick. So if you're on a budget, with a few coins but low social status, dressing up for a night on the town, and not the best part of town, and maybe an unfamiliar town... it seems like an obvious choice for lots of reasons.

[@DavidCruickshank]

I was literally just about to comment about how much i love that shirt when you said how much you loved it at the end of the video. Such a cute outfit! 🤩

[@lanaebabs8675]

Thank you for showing off your full outfit because it is, indeed, a stunning ensemble. Heart eyes for days.

[@katwade888]

Ok......I just have to tell you how much I LOVE your videos! They are entertaining, educational, and fun. I've been trying to catch up on all your videos and I think I'm almost there. I am amazed at your talent and skill for shoe making and your beautiful stitching. Please don't stop posting! PS: Your hair in this video is just beautiful. I think this particular hairstyle suits you to a "T" :)

[@Melissa_939]

Thank you so much for making such a comprehensive, well-reseached video!

[@hattyburrow716]

I love your videos, I’ve been watching them for years (and your friends that you feature in) but only recently have I realised as I see you sitting and working, I know why you know so much about the past. You’re a vampire! A perfect example of such. A fabulous, possibly vegetarian, vampire.❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🥰

[@m.maclellan7147]

Vegetarian Vampire ? Does she suck the blood of carrots 🥕 or tofu 🤔?!

[@AlexaFaie]

Shhhh.... you're not supposed to reveal the secrets of the immortals.

[@MlleFunambuline]

Thank you so much for these two videos. Firts because they are amazing. But also because you gave me an excellent reason to watch this serie again with a new eye.

[@SciFiFemale]

I want to see Our Flag Means Death, but its not out in the UK yet. And your jacket/coat, at the end, is to die for! x

[@ellaisplotting]

I'm in the UK too- There are friends who can help you out with files of it, if you ask around. Reddit especially has Google drives with it on, it might take a few tries to find one still accessible. But OH MAN it is WORTH IT. I've watched it three times already and I'm struggling to hold off on a fourth, and fifth.

[@lauragantz6876]

Weren't sticks used for measuring distances? If you know the height of something like a lighthouse or maybe a particular mountain, when closing one eye while looking at said object, you reference it to a part of your stick to a point you're holding with a thumb and easily with math you can get the distance remaining. No idea if they knew about Pitagoras law though...Thanks for the video! I'm currently sewing my first "pirate shirt" to go to a ren faire with my best friend. Had fun learning about what we know about the clothing.

[@m.maclellan7147]

Also, part of a sextant (she uses a photo of one) is basically mostly long sticks - so, the "Swiss Army knife" of the time ? Could sort of be used for distance, or personal protection ?! Could also use it to hang goods off of - (think Tom Sawyer) - you buy goods, tie them in your handkerchief and hang on the stick over your shoulder !

[@michelleross9782]

Nicole I thoroughly enjoy your story telling in this video. I don't know if you're going to chime in on the buzz right now... Would love to hear your thoughts, research, experience & knowledge that's associated with the subject... BUT I was so grateful you posted this video as a place of solace in the midst of the madness.

[@rubies2905]

I love your outfit! Great job on the coat Loving your channel as well ! This Flag means Death is fantastic Thanks for a great video!

[@lajoyous1568]

Greatly enjoyed The puns were on point 😉 Oddly I kept hearing a little VeggieTales voice saying "piratey things" 🙃

[@Tvianne]

Your outfit is really beautiful. I envy your shirt, tbh (those sleeves!)

[@notdrawingattention]

2:56 The dog with the powdered wig in the portrait had me crying omgg 🤣😄🤣

[@starjamberry]

I love and adore Ed’s mad max ensemble but I did have an AHH wet leather!! Moment when he dove into the water in ep 8(?) 😂

[@edielungreen]

This is so awesomely thorough. Thank you very much! ❤️

[@zendog7212]

I was at HMS Dolphin. We had shared Watch Coats. You considered yourself fortunate if you managed to get one with buttons.

[@zoes_story]

I love this! I grew up on a narrowboat so the idea of sailors with bare feet has always seemed comical to me. You wouldn't even go barefoot on a houseboat 😂 nobody wants duck poop through their toes let me tell you!

[@nematarot]

i love that Olu’s beanie is possibly historically accurate.

[@littlebluepearl]

Thank you for bringing us along on this journey down another fascinating rabbit hole! Your videos are always so informative (and inspiring, too)!