A very British question: That auld brown coat?

[FramFramson]

Being a dirty colonial, I'm familiar with Britishness enough as to be familiar with the iconic image of the British tradesman or shopkeeper wearing a long brown coat as so:





(I have that figure as well, in the painting queue for civvies)

Purely a curiosity question... what's the story on that fashion? How early was it common or in use? Seems like it was used for quite a long time - is it still used sometimes nowadays? Was it specific trades or just those who felt like using it? I tried googling, but I expect there's a specific term I don't know and "brown coat" is generic enough phrase so as to be useless on Google.

I know the figure can be used for interwar at least through the 70's, but I was wondering if he can be used for even earlier (WWI-era? Edwardian or even Victorian?) or later games (Moderns) and if there's any specific trades it tended to in practice (shopkeepers or trades shop labourers?), or if it's simply generic workman's clothing, much like overalls, and so widely used.

[Arlequín]

I'm not entirely sure how far it goes back, but it's usually known as a 'cow gown'. You used to find them in factories, department stores, or any where that someone needed something to protect their clothes, but didn't need to wear actual overalls like a manual worker.

Foremen who might be called upon to put something right, or otherwise be required to do some actual work occasionally, got a cow gown and 'management' who occasionally needed to go on the shop floor, typically wore a white one (so would look like they were wearing a lab coat).

You would find them in grocers and hardware stores too, the character Arkwright in 'Open All Hours' wore one as the actual grocer, while his 'boy' got an apron. The classic Two Ronnies 'Fork Handles' sketch also has Ronnie Corbett in one. If I recall correctly the character in 'Are You Being Served' was both a warehouseman and a TU shop steward, so he wasn't a full time 'worker' as such.   

I know that they are still in use in Vauxhalls in the UK, but the brown one has been done away with. Workers and management have common uniform, but managers (which now includes the foremen), inspectors and office staff, still wear often wear white coats and are referred to as 'white coats' as opposed to everyone else.

In effect it is both practical wear, but with an implied status to go with it.

[Rob_bresnen]

I have just asked my father in law who is 90 years old and he said that they were very common in the thirties for shop keepers- fairly universal for things like greengrocers. Butchers, however, wore white coats and a hat, and still do in many butchers shops.

[FramFramson]

Yes, it seems to exist in the middle ground where you'd sometimes be expected to do real work, but not so often that you didn't just wear work clothes instead of nice clothes with a protective coat over top.

[Arlequín]

Butchers, however, wore white coats and a hat, and still do in many butchers shops.

As they do in most Hypermarket meat counters... whose staff don't look old enough to have cut a tooth, let alone a chop. Nevertheless that they are supposed to be imaginary butchers (and/or fishmongers too) is supplied by dressing like a butcher is supposed to.
   

[FramFramson]

In any case, knowing the name already helped find a little more information. No dates per se, but some more info nonetheless. So, thanks.

[Arlequín]

I think you're on safe ground after the Great War, possibly as far back as the Boer War. Earlier than that and you start seeing hairstyle and facial hair differences, plus the wearing of Derby Hats etc., which will date your figures in any case.

I've seen some odd photos of factory workers in the Late Victorian Era, with some in aprons and one guy in a similar cow-gown, but it was quite a different style and less 'tailored' (no suit-like collar and lapel) and more smock-like, if that makes any sense.  

[FramFramson]

Yes, I think I do. Thanks.

I'm going to be using the character for pulp games eventually (so, perfectly fine), but it's always handy to know if you can get extra mileage out of figures in more than genre. For instance, he'd work just as well for Geezers.

[Doug ex-em4]

Warehouse coat?
https://www.fruugo.co.uk/mens-warehouse-coat-ct01k/p-2836658-6187580?gclid=Cj0KEQjwjoC6BRDXuvnw4Ym2y8MBEiQACA-jWXcsRpqOnb_vDNdCsN3i20QK3dGHrz6VVdhkymvm-3saAlkp8P8HAQ

Doug

[FramFramson]

Interesting... that confirms you can still buy them. I guess you could use the mini for moderns after all.

[scrivs]

When I did my work experience back in the 1980's at an engineering plant the brown coat was the garb of the storesman, while the engineers wore blues.

[Deedles]

Yep , we had them at my work place in the 80's and 90's, brown and blue

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

A bit late to this, Fram but nevertheless; when I started work as a telephone engineer in the early 70's, all the store-men wore brown coats. Engineers were issued with overalls, however in those days there were installers whose only job was to fit phones in people's houses. To show that they were a cut above us hairy-bothered external engineers (as if!) they adopted the brown coat as well. The exchange engineers could wear brown coats if they wished. Really, a protective garment for internal workers rather than external workers in my business.

[Eclaireur]

cow gown?! 
I had heard it referred to as a 'store man's coat' also. I never got the impression that it was to show you were a cut above the other workers. I believe it was the colour it was because stores are ...dusty. It was designed to keep dust off shirt and trousers for people who spent their days moving stuff around store rooms, as far as I understood,
EC
q.v. The Two Ronnies 'Four Candles' sketch, Ronnie Corbett wears one. For the non-Brits on this board, one of the most definingly British TV comedy sketches ever made!   

[FramFramson]

Some neat little tidbits of info there, guys.