90 The Story of The Bronx 



The dress of the yeoman class was in keeping with their cir- 

 cumstances. The women dressed plainly in serviceable and 

 durable homespun. For Sundays and "frolics," a ribbon or 

 other gewgaw could be purchased from the Yankee peddler 

 who began to make his stated rounds with his pack. The 

 ordinary dress of the yeoman himself was homespun in sum- 

 mer ; while in winter it consisted of leather breeches and apron, 

 as cloth was too expensive — about a guinea a yard — for his 

 purse. The stockings were made of wool raised on his own 

 farm and knitted by his women folks. The Dutch adhered to 

 their distinctive dress of voluminous petticoats and breeches, 

 so humorously described by Irving ; but as time passed inter- 

 marriages occurred between the two races, racial characteris- 

 tics disappeared, and the population became homogeneous. 



The wealthy classes dressed as luxuriously as they lived. 

 They followed the fashions of Europe, though from one to two 

 years late. Silks, satins, broadcloth, taffetas, velvets, bro- 

 cades, lutestrings, moire antique, chintzes, constantly appear 

 in the inventories of the period. The gentlemen wore their 

 silk stockings and shoes with silver buckles, while their 

 coats and vests were ornamented with silver buttons usually 

 made of coins; while the ladies were as anxious to show their 

 fine silk clocked stockings and high-heeled kid slippers as they 

 are to-day. The head-gear of the men was a three-cornered 

 hat surmounted with lace or cockade as their means allowed 

 or the occasion required. Their hair was covered by a wig 

 finely dressed and powdered. In time, the matter of wigs 

 became so extravagant that the law attempted to regulate it 

 by placing a tax of "three shillings on every inhabitant, resi- 

 dent, or sojourner, young or old, within the colony, that wears 

 a wig or peruke made of human or horse hair mixed, by what- 

 ever denomination the same may be distinguished." The 



