Reference articles on history, science, culture and more
Encyclopedia

Buckskins

Clothing made of deer hide

Image credit is listed at the end of this article.

Buckskins are clothing, usually consisting of a jacket and leggings, made from buckskin, a soft sueded leather from the hide of deer. Buckskins are often trimmed with a fringe , originally a functional detail, to allow the garment to shed rain, and to dry faster when wet because the fringe acted as a series of wicks to disperse the water , or quills. They also served as a form of camouflage when hunting, by breaking up the outline of the wearer and allowing them to blend in with their background.

Buckskins derive from deerskin clothing worn by Native Americans. They were popular with mountain men and other frontiersmen for their warmth and durability. Buckskin jackets, often dyed and elaborately detailed, are a staple of western wear and were a brief fad in the 1970s. The American jacket/tunic known as a wamus was originally made from buckskin with fringe.

01Famous wearers

Calamity Jane dressed in buckskins. Photo by H. R. Locke.
Calamity Jane dressed in buckskins. Photo by H. R. Locke.
Watch videos about BuckskinsExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article Buckskins, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Images, from Wikimedia Commons:

Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.