White clothing in summer?

[Rick Smith]

Donna,

Thank you so much for clearing that up as far as Lincoln's clothing - and men's in general. I have always assumed that there would be a variety of colors worn by Lincoln. We have sales records for clothing bought by John Surratt, Sr. (a middle-class gent), and he enjoyed some pretty colorful outfits, including plaid pants, vests, etc.

Maybe history is still in mourning for Lincoln, and we just assume that he should fit the picture of a dark, somber fellow???

Laurie,

Plaid and patterned trousers and vests were very popular in America and Great Britain during the 1850's with fairly wild combinations of patterns and colors being worn together, so John Surratt would have been right on the cutting edge of fashion.

Rick