Letter carrier uniform jacket
Object Details
- Description
- Taking its name from U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, who famously wore this type of jacket during World War II, the Eisenhower-style jacket officially became part of the city delivery service letter carrier’s uniform in 1953. Letter carriers could wear the zippered jacket with its recognizable banded waist instead of the traditional coat. Using the same material and gray color as the coat, this Eisenhower jacket sports two front pockets with brass buttons and maroon trim, which is also applied above the cuffs. Applied to the left shoulder, the embroidered emblem patch features the Post Office Department horse and rider seal (right-oriented or backward-facing) in white on an all maroon background surrounded by “Post Office Dept. USA,” also rendered in white. Officials replaced this patch design -- first available in 1956 -- with a forward-facing, left-oriented, horse and rider figurative on a blue field with a maroon border in 1965. This letter carrier's jacket comes from the Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, post office.
- Reference:
- National Association of Letter Carriers. "Dressed for Success: The Evolution of Letter Carrier Uniforms." Postal Record. October 1986.
- Data Source
- National Postal Museum
- Date
- c. 1956-1965
- Object number
- 0.052985.256.1
- Manufacturer
- Thorton Tailor
- Type
- Employee Gear
- Medium
- fabric (wool); metal
- Dimensions
- Height x Width (Overall): 24 in. (60.96 cm) Height x Width (Shoulder): 19 in. (48.26 cm) Height x Width (Sleeve Length): 22 1/2 in. (57.15 cm)
- Place
- Pennsylvania
- See more items in
- National Postal Museum Collection
- Topic
- The Cold War (1945-1990)
- Postal Employees
- Record ID
- npm_0.052985.256.1
