A Brief History Of Postal Uniforms

Mailmen and mailwomen are icons of American culture

. For over two hundred and thirty years, the postal service of the United States has been reliably delivering packages and letters to residents. It's a service most of us couldn't do without. The look of a postal deliverer has changed throughout the years, but the reliable service has always stayed the same.

Even though the postal service was running years before, it wasn't until 1868 that the postal workers of the United States began wearing uniforms after Congress passed legislation authorizing it. The first uniform included a single-breasted coat of a blue-gray cloth which extended two-thirds of the way from the hip-bone to the knee. The coat had a pocket on each side and one on the left breast and a row of five brass buttons featuring the department seal running from the neck down the front of the coat. Pants were of the same material with a black broadcloth stripe down the leg. The uniform also included a cap made of the same material, a cape, and a vast with seven of the same brass buttons.

At the dawn of the 20th century the uniform of the postal worker went through several changes. In 1901 it became permissible to wear a neat shirt-waist in warm weather, instead of a coat or a vest. In the 1920s the postal badge was redesigned and the color of the postal worker's shirt was changed from a nickel-gray to a blue shade. In the 1930s through the 1950s postal workers were allowed to wear a sweater in lieu of a coat, which later evolved into a zippered jacket. Elbow length sleeve shirts were optional in hot weather. In 1947 an Eisenhower-style jacket was made available was well as safari-style pith helmet for the first time.

In 1955, a uniform for female postal workers was first discussed. The uniform was the same as the men's style except for the addition of a skirt. The 1970s brought a new blue uniform shirt fitted with a logo incorporating the eagle in its design. This decade also brought knee length shorts and black knee-length hose for men and women.

The 1990s was one of the most transformative decades for the postal service uniform and many of those changes are still in place today. All outerwear garments were changed to navy blue. Visors and baseball caps with the new sonic eagle logo became available. Clothing with the alternating pinstripes of postal red and blue were developed. Today most postal workers wear blue-gray pants or shorts with a black stripe and several options for outerwear. Whatever the style, the postal service workers are always easily identifiable as an iconic part of American culture.

by: Art Gib

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