Object Record
| Object Name | Uniform |
| Date | 1949-1962 |
| Description |
Band uniform jacket. Cream wool with blue trim and cream rayon lining. Double breasted military style with 3 sets of round silver metal buttons (2 sets are decorative, one set is functional). Jacket is waist length with long sleeves and stand-up collar. Blue cording detail is applied on front at buttons, on sleeves, and on collar; decorative round silver buttons on sleeves and collar. Blue and tan round embroidered patch sewn on proper left shoulder; patch has an eagle and inscription "FARMINGTON". Fabric label sewn into lining below neckline, with printed and handwritten inscription: " 'UNIFORMS BY OSTWALD,' Inc. / Ostwald Building, Staten Island 1, N.Y. / 0 #11162 1 SEP 21 / Wearer 50 100% WOO[L] / W.L. [blank line] Hgt. 5-6 C 16 1/2 / Lgt. 17 1/2 Chest 37 / In. Sl. 17 Waist 30 / Out Sl. 30 Seat 39"; separate label sewn onto bottom: "ISSUED BY AUTHOR[ITY] / AMALGAMATED CLO[---] / UNION MADE / SUIT / MAKERS OF AMERICA / [illegible] EXECUTIVE [illegible] / COPYRIGHT 1949 / SERIES SG" (Keywords: Twentieth Century, Music, Bands, New York) |
| Acquisition | Gift of Norma Jean Robinson |
| Ownership and History |
The patch on this jacket may indicate it was worn by a member of a Farmington school band. It was acquired by the donor from a vintage clothing dealer who reported having purchased it at a sale in Detroit, Michigan. Uniforms by Ostwald, Inc. was located on Richmond Terrace in New Brighton from 1945. One of the foremost operations of its kind in the country, the Ostwald factory employed about 300 people and produced 1,500 musical uniforms each week during the 1950s and 1960s. The firm's reputation and clientele were nationwide in scope; among its prominent customers was the West Point band. Changing economic and social circumstances led to a major decline in the firm's business in the 1970s. Uniforms by Ostwald, Inc. closed completely shortly after 1980. |
| Earliest Date | 1949 |
| Latest Date | 1962 |
| Maker | Uniforms by Ostwald, Inc. |
| Material | Wool/Rayon |
| Subjects |
Clothing & dress Band uniforms Musicians |
| Lexicon Sub-category | Clothing -- Outerwear |
| Catalog Number | 12.003 |
| Support Acknowledgment | Online Collections Database record made possible by the Staten Island Historical Society, June 2014. |
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