Knickerbocker Dudes and other Dudes of the Past

An article published in 1887 compared and contrasted various types of "Dudes" from history; the "Spanish Gallant," the "Puritan Dandy," the "Knickerbocker Beau," and the "Modern Dude."  Coincidentally, the "Modern Dude" of the 1889s may be related to the old "Knickerbocker Beaus," literally and figuratively. The word, "dude," was coined in 1883, and the members of the Knickerbocker Club of New York City (whose members were purporteldy descended from the original Knickerbocker settlers of New Amsterdam) may have been the original "Dudes" who inspired the new word.     

 

Members of the Knicerbocker Club gazing out their window may have inspired the original "Dude" in 1883. See, "Knickerbocker Dudes - a Window into the History and Origin of 'Dude.'"

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Swells of the Past," The Lawrence Tribune (Lawrence, Kansas), March 4, 1887, page 1. 

 

 

 

 

 

 The dandy of the hour cuts no figure beside the dandies of the past.  They had the advantage of laces, ruffles, fantastic head wear, sashes, knee breeches, swords, and no end of frumpery.  Our dandy must put his time in on his bangs, his mustache, his eye-glasses, collar and necktie, and trifles like that, and then the fit of his clothes is something that taxes him greatly, for that constitutes his claim to an exquisite.

Only a dude can wear clothes that fit perfectly, because he could not keep away every wrinkle if he moved about in a natural way attending to business.  Clothes are like faces; they show where they have been.  A dandy's clothes must be new every morning and fresh every evening in appearance.

 

 

 

The Spanish courtier of the last century was a creature to make all existing dandies wretched.  Like unto but still more gorgeous than the French swell of Richelieu's day was he.  The glory of his head wear, the splendor of his coat, the elegance of his entire outfit - all these bring tears to the eyes of the male creature swelldom who cannot get out of the ugly environment of trousers.

 

 

 

Then there was the grim dude of our Puritan fathers.  He was not the creature of flippant mind.  On the contrary he devoted himself to questions of deep religious import, and dressed accordingly.  His high crowned, wide brimmed hat, his well fitting stockings and wide, immaculate collar made of hinm a spectacle of sever fashion that would terrorize a child to-day.  Like other dandies, his face agreed with his costume.  It was long, doleful, awful.  The friskiness of youth was eliminated from his anatomy, and he went forth among the fair sex conquering only in the straight and narrow way.  His manners were no jollier than his garments, for be it known clothes are the expression of thought, and always agree with the manners of the wearer.

 

 

 

 The original dude of New Amsterdam, the swell Knickerbocker, was a gay, gorgeous creature.  It is even now whispered that Hendrick Hudson was one.  He wore extraordinary collars, rosettes on his shoes, and other garments of peculiar extravagance.  When gotten up with a view to heart breaking experiences he was a creature to dazzle and overwhelm.  You will find him still, done up in canvas and oil, on the walls of his rich descendants in New York.  Sometimes, however, hie is very grand in the portrait, all ruffles and glory, when the original spent his life in a butcher's apron.  Descendants have a pardonable habit of improving their dead ancestors, and making them up with the times.

Knee breeches for all men are threatened and will doubtless arrive.  The bicyclists are already in them, and the contagion, blessed be its name, is spreading.

 

 

 

 

 A fop of the present day - call him a dude, or by any other name, he willsmell as weet - makes but a poor appearance as to legs.  Trousers are the mortal enemy of beauty.  They came in with the French revolution.  Teh French peasant wore a baggy leg wear on the trouser plan.  His conception of democracy was to compel everybody to wear the same kind of clothing.  

 

Aristocrats wore stockings to the knee, hence the peasant argued that stockings to the knee indicated tyranny and oppression, and his kind of trousers were symbolical of equal rights for all men.  And he enforced his theory by cutting off the heads of all who clung to stockings.  Naturally men found it to their interest to discard stockings and put on trousers.  Hence we have trousers now, and find it hard to get rid of them.

The modern dude wouldn't say overcoat for the world; but he talks a good deal about his "top coat."  And he would hold no communication with a person who spoke of trousers as pantaloons, though the day has been when that name was considered good enough for the bifurcated garments of men, by very respectable people.  

And no dandy who keeps up with the times recognizes such a thing as a cane! Not he. He "wears a walking stick," a thick, stout stick, very strong, club-like looking, consequently very English.