"What did 1850s Texas Rangers Look Like?" Topic

The Osprey Elite Series, The Texas Rangers, as usual, fails to give examples of what the ordinary Rangers wore, preferring to show illustrations of the oddballs like the Ranger who who wore the uniform of the Mexican General he killed (so very helpful). Question is, were they still wearing buckskins or more city-fied tail coats or more of the military look they wore during the Mexican-America War. I want to convert and paint up some Rangers to game the exploits of the Callahan Expedition that pursued Apaches into Mexico in 1855 and which was probably the spark of the idea for Major Dundee.

Here are some links for you to peruse.

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79thPA,

Thanks! These links are helpful.

I am doing it in 20mm – 1/72. I'm going to use a mix of Texas War of Independence, Lewis and Clark, and Cowboys. Dismounted figures are no problem. Mounted figures are tougher to find.

Interesting photos but they look as though they put on their Sunday Best for the studio photograph wouldn't you say?

DBDD

Probably they cleaned up as best they could, Darrell. But on Ranger pay, would they have had a second best? The vaquero costumes seem to have been a disguise.

I've dug out my copy of The Texas Rangers by Walter Prescott Webb but unfortunately, a quick scan at the illustrations hasn't yielded anything useful apart from the fact that the vaquero style of hat seems to be favoured.

DBDD

I don't think there were a lot of people wearing buckskins in Texas at that time. Here is a link to the Texas State Historical Association on the Rangers.

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There's some buckskin in this illustration of the battle of Antelope Hills, 1858. I can also see the vaquero influence.

Painting executed at the end of the C19th so, although vivid, perhaps of questionable value,

Go with big hats.