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This smart-looking man is wearing a double-breasted coat, a stiff-edged, brimless cap and look at those bell-bottomed trousers! He looks very ship-shape, doesn't he?

Why are double-breasted, "reefer" or "pea coats" considered maritime wear? The double-breasted coat was invented by British sailors and as they traveled around the world and the practical style was picked up and adopted by other sailors. Eventually the coat made it's way into civilian life as a sporting and work jacket. The "reefer" was one of the first documented double-breasted jackets and was prized for its warmth and durability by fisherman and sailors.

The jacket design allowed it to be buttoned left side over right, or right side over left. This meant that sailors could keep warm no matter which way the wind blew. The reefer, like all double-breasted jackets, had anchor buttons on the inside which added another layer of protection against the wind. Jackets were cut short at the waist making it easy for sailors to run about the deck and climb the rigging. Officers didn't run around like lower ranking sailors and wore a longer style known as a bridge jacket.

It is commonly believed that the bell-bottomed trouser was introduced in 1817 to permit men to roll them above the knee when washing down the decks, and to make it easier to remove them in a hurry when forced to abandon ship or when washed overboard. With the wider leg opening if you fell in the water you could take the trousers off over your shoes and then the trousers could be used as a life preserver by knotting the legs.

This young man is holding a brimless cap that appears to have a stiffened head band and I'm pretty sure it's a kepi. You can just make out the tip of the visor on the left side. Merchant marine seamen and harbour masters wore kepis and straw hats as well as brimless hats (which don't catch the wind). Lowestoft fisherman in the 1870's wore whatever they had to keep the sun and rain off their heads, to include bowelers, boaters, kepis and even stovepipe hats.

In my research I've found several period photos of lighthouse keepers, merchant midshipman and harbour pilots who are wearing nautical-influenced clothing without badges and ribbons and are almost identical to this dapper man's.