About...my Clothing:

From the inside out (skipping the 'delicate unmentionables'), I wear a bib-front cotton shirt, striped wool trousers and a brocade vest made by my wife (with a little help from me) following historical patterns, and calf-length leather boots. In the evening and on a cloudy day, I wear a brown derby; in the sun, a straw 'Sam Houston.' A pocket watch with chain, a pair of Pince Nez reading glasses, and a glass flask of my favorite elixer (Coca-Cola) complete the ensemble.

While 'in the field' I wear a brown leather cross-draw shoulder rig (I made it myself!) to hold my 1836-design Colt Paterson .36 cal revolver; you never know when a rattler (or a 'Johnny Reb') might slither out of the bushes lookin' to do ya' harm!

For winter, I have an old "make do" wool blanket capote; perhaps I'll be able to afford something more modern before the first snows set in!

...my Equipment:

Blatant anachronisms trouble me. At a Civil War event at El Rancho de las Golondrinas, I spent the day furtively shooting photos with my Pentax digital SLR while dressed in my 1840s infantry uniform. It occurred to me that if I were dressed as a civilian of the period and equipped with a primitive-looking box camera, I would fit right in. This got the wheels turning.

I purchased an old, somewhat rustic-looking wooden tripod on ebay for about thirty bucks. Scouring the craft stores, I found a plain pine box large enough to enclose my digital SLR. I've stained the box and cut a hole through which the lens protrudes; I'm still experimenting with ways to mount the camera in the box so that it's easy to switch over from horizontal to vertical format. To camouflage the modern lens, I've built a press-on tubular lens shield from sheet brass.

The whole kit looks passably fine, if I might say so myself!