Keys to History:

During the 19th century, increasing economic prosperity began to erode the obvious distinctions between men of different social and economic status.

Canadian men enthusiastically adopted the outward signs of prosperity, including clothing that marked them as affluent gentlemen rather than working men. Increasingly cheap and available ready-made clothing helped to erase obvious social distinctions. In 1865 one English visitor, George Tuthill Borrett, observed in some astonishment that in Canada: "Uniforms, liveries, and such-like frivolities of a bloated aristocracy, are alike discarded. The railway guard is dressed as yourself, the porters better; the captain and the coachmen and grooms as private gentlemen."

As men's clothing became increasingly restrained and homogeneous, it also became a less reliable indicator of social status and wealth. In an effort to preserve their social exclusivity, wealthy men distinguished themselves by adhering to complex rules of propriety in dress.

References
George Tuthill Borrett, Letters from Canada and the Colonies (London: J. E. Adlard, 1865).

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