Most of my historical interst lies in the Navy's history from the Spanish-American War to Pearl Harbor and the Cavalry from the Spanish-American War to the end of the horse cavalry in 1948. Finding Army uniforms for that period is not much of a problem, but Navy uniforms are as scarce as hen's teeth.
It's not so much the blouses, shirts and tousers (those can be gotten without too much difficulty) but covers are a real problem. The narrow topped cover depicted in your photo seems to have persisted into the late '20s or early '30s. I'm not sure when the modern "saucer hat" came into being.
As a retired Naval Aviator who rides horses I've also been interested in aviation related clothing. The National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, FL has a huge collection of photos of Aviators from the first class at San Diego in 1912 on. You see a lot of riding boots and breeches on early Aviators. At that time Army and Navy pilots trained at the same time I'm not surprised the the Navy guys copied the uniforms of the Army guys, many of whom were Cavalry branch officers.
My wife and I are both retired Navy and we both participate in the National Cavlary Competitions (this year to he held at Ft. Robinson, NE). Since the Navy only had one riding uniform in its history (a Riding Habit for Nurses, 1917-1919) we presently wear modern uniforms slightly modified. I would like to put together a cotton choker white uniform for parade and cermonial purposes.
Have you been able to aquire an appropriate cover? If so, where did you get it? Were you able to get the appropriate emblems, and if so, where? So far the only thing that's stopped me is the cover. Any help in getting one would be very greatly appreciated.
I do some of my own leatherwork (simple stuff like holster, belts, cases, etc.). I've got a reproduction pistol frog for an Model 1851 Colt, but for a historical persona was thinking of being a bit "inauthentic" carrying a Schofield Well Fargo model in nickle finish with ivory grips. Just a little "splash and dash" don't you know!!!!!
Any direction you might be able to give me would be appreciated!
SQQ