He is wearing a leather apron. Back in the day people did not own as many clothes as they do today, that could have very well been the only pair of britches he owned and the apron is to keep from burning them. The shirt is billowy to allow air to flow around and through, helps keep you a little cooler. And of course no proper man would be with out a hat, even if he does not have a bald spot. 

One thing that amazes me about folks at the turn of the century is the clothes they wore. I have old family photos of men in long wool pants, long sleeve shirts, and wool jackets in the summer. Yes days like the past few have been a proper man did not go out with out being properly dressed. Now a days its too hot for people to be inside in the AC in just a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. 

Ayup, you see pics of all sorts of tradesmen in suit, tie and hat: blacksmiths, loggers, ditch diggers, carpenters, etc. A high end job holder would wear: cuff links, pocket watch, boutonniere, and properly folded handkerchief, say a store clerk.

My how proprieties have slipped eh? I get comments for wearing my Derby at demos.

Frosty The Lucky.

Thanks for all comments. So as a follow up for those who have helpfully commented on Chris Downs's attire I'm attaching a photo (postcard) of another blacksmith shop, a mile down the road in Ithan, just to show the fashions a few years later. On close inspection it looks to me like our Chris Downs moved to this shop and here he is again some years later, after the advent of motor vehicles, pictured center in the blow-up. If it's him, he's definitely a shorty, as someone observed here earlier, and still sporting that wonderful 'Village People' stylie mustache! To the left is this shop's owner, Thomas Tague (who is also pictured as a local volunteer firefighter in our archives), whose son took over Chris Downs's Radnor shop. This photo can be dated as post-1911 from the 'Jelco Puncture Proof Tires' sign. Unlike the previous, I'm not looking for comments on this photo; it's just here for fun. (We're allowed fun here, right?)

Making comments is fun so no hogging the fun! 

I'd say he's pretty averaged height judging by the men posed in the door, three about his height, three taller, the one to his right almost a head higher.  

Looks like the dress code is easing in 1911, only a couple vests and the one bow tie amongst the rank and file, the owner is in a 3 piece suit as suits his station. I'm thinking the man wearing the: derby/bowler, vest and tie on the far left is the foreman maybe. He's dressed a little better and isn't so dirty, worn looking. 

Nice picture. I'm wishing I'd bought a copy of the loggers standing on a redwood log they'd loaded on a log wagon from the Okanogan or Omak museum. Dad said one of the men standing on top of the log was my great grand uncle Bert's brother, Simon. The log was at least 15' in diameter and had been bucked into 16' lengths to haul. Men in front of the pic were holding a cross cut saw that had to be 20' or more long, there were two handles on each end and four men holding it. 

How that ties in here is everybody in the picture was dressed in a 3 piece suit and tie and hat. The date on the picture was IIRC 1887.

Frosty The Lucky.

My ex-wife's parents used to do cowboy re-enactments. My father in law loved it. Out riding horses and shooting their guns yeehawin and a yahooin and the like. My mother in law hated it. lugging water, starting a fire, makin butter, cooking and washing dishes next to an open fire when it is 90* in a long dress with long sleeves and a bonnet on. As a side note my father in law had some really nice guns. If Clint Eastwood had a gun in a western he had one or at least a replica. 

I had no clue that they used inflatable tires in 1911. I am assuming that puncture proof means they are inflatable. 

Frosty, i think i have seen that photo you speak of. That's pretty cool to be related to one of them guys. 

8 minutes ago, BillyBones said:

I had no clue that they used inflatable tires in 1911. I am assuming that puncture proof means they are inflatable.

This one was not necessarily inflatable, but they were offering it as a superior alternative, so they already existed. See HERE.

Quite an interesting read. I like the 21,500 miles on a set of tires.