Taos A to Z Excerpt: Duster

The original dusters were full-length, light-colored canvas or linen coats worn by horsemen to protect their clothing from trail dust. These dusters were typically slit up the back to hip level for ease of wear on horseback. At the turn of the 20th century, both men and women wore dusters to protect their clothes when riding in open motorcars on dirt roads. Western horsemen's dusters gained renewed popularity in the late 20th century, primarily through the J. Peterman catalog, and are now a standard item of Western wear. They figured little in Western films, until Sergio Leone reintroduced them in his movies “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” and “Once Upon a Time in the West.” The duster was also worn by some of the characters in the movie “Silverado” and the TV mini-series “Lonesome Dove.” ~Jean