Today’s consideration of fine old jokes takes us to the wild west, and the garment known as chaps. The word is short for chaparreras, which American cowboys shortened to chaps, at first pronounced shaps. They apparently start appearing in tales of the west in the 1830s, and were intended to keep a cowboy’s legs dry in muddy weather. These fuzzy ones were made of goatskin, and very popular because the hair made them kept more water off the legs than plain leather.
This style, which was adored by mid-century postcard cartoonists, is sometimes called bat wings or, more commonly, rodeo chaps. The funny floppiness is functional: this gives more play to the lower leg and makes it easier for the rider to mount the horse. It is also,as cartoonists and modern rodeo riders can attest, more attention-grabbing.
So where do the jokes come in? Well, in the late nineteenth century, a thing now known as the “dude ranch” appeared out west, a combination of rough financial markets and an ancient tradition of city folk going out into the country in warm weather (out east, people would pay to go live on a farm and do chores for the summer.) Around the same time, there was a vein of East vs. West humor, related to the town vs. country jokes, where people who knew what they were doing made fun of the visitors.
And the postcard featuring the south end of a young lady from the city who didn’t know chaps were worn over trousers was born. (Not that the cartoonists knew all that much about it. What the lady is wearing here are technically known as “boots”.)
Some artists did dare to buck the trend. Reg Manning here shows a dudette who knows how it’s done. (AND shows us a useful pun.)
Still, chaps had become associated with semi-nudity, whether the young lady knew how to dress or not. (If she’s put on her hat and boots and now is picking out chaps, maybe she doesn’t.)
After all, one headed for the country to get away from the city’s over-civilized requirements. THIS young lady has donned a matching vest.
This accessory started a tradition of its own.
Maybe it was all a marketing ploy by the ranches themselves. THIS gag also has a line of relatives. (There is no time here to discuss the history of the nudist dude ranch, or Nude Ranch. There may have been more of these in movies and sitcoms than in the desert.)
The ladies who went to dude ranches could not catch a break at all.
Mind you, the men from the city who came west got a share of the jokes. But THEY got to keep their underdrawers on.
Blogsy Babbles 