[Rodolfo Martínez]

Hello people.
DO you know if greatcoats with wrist lenght capes and duster coats were used by civilians (Civilian versions) in US during XIX century?

Where duster coats military coats too?

Thanks.

[Joel Minturn]

Depending on were your talking about in the US the duster was worn as civilian clothing. The duster was a light weight coat that was worn to keep dust off the cloths while out on a horse. I believe they would have been more of a western style. Worn by cowboys and it was the semi official uniform of the Texas Rangers.

I am not sure that the duster was ever used in the military. Let me correct that I don't think it was ever issued as military apparel, it may have been worn by individual cavalry officers.

As for civilian use of the greatcoat. Found a couple of references to them and a reproduction of a civilian greatcoat but I don't know any of the details of who would have worn one and all that.

[Rodolfo Martínez]

Hello, thanks for your answer, i don´t know why but i tend to link the grat coat with the military or the figure of a preacher.
Great coats are common in period movies (For civilians) and i have seen some examples of military cavalry and infantry ones, but since i don´t rely in movies at all i wasn´t sure of their use in civilian context (I have seen Victorian ones too but those do not count)

[Lafayette C Curtis]

Are you sure those civilian garments were greatcoats? Greatcoats were predominantly military garments, and civilian garments--though often cut similarly or identically with the military greatcoat--were usually known by a different name, such as frock overcoats, polo coats, Ulster coats, paletots, or Chesterfields. The Wikipedia page on overcoats has a decent overview of the differences between these types, which often also mirrored contemporary developments of military and civilian garments in general.

[Rodolfo Martínez]

hello.
Thanks for the answers,
As for civilian, i think the Ulster Overcoat is the match, Were those used un US too, or only in England?

Thanks.

[Lafayette C Curtis]

Don't be fooled by the name. "Ulster coat" is just the way the British called a kind of coat that could have been found in England, Continental Europe, and the US alike under basically the same design.