While a century ago sleeve garters were worn by men regardless of profession (with the possible exception of the wealthy or those with
tailored shirts), today sleeve garters are usually seen in relation to one of the following contexts.
Music , a
barbershop quartet at
Walt Disney World, wearing sleeve garters According to
jazz historian Al Rose, the popular image of an early 20th-century
saloon pianist being flashily dressed with arm garters was inspired by the way
Tony Jackson used to dress while performing.
Gambling Today, sleeve garters are part of the
costume of
poker dealers and other
card dealers in
casinos. While this is widely understood to make it more difficult for the dealer to
cheat by concealing a card in his sleeve, the sleeve garter is usually accompanied by a
vest and
bow tie (and sometimes a
visor), suggesting this usage might date to late 19th and early 20th-century fashion as much as it serves a real purpose.
Old West The sleeve garter is often seen in modern depictions of the
Old West, not only on musicians and
gamblers but on the stereotypical well-dressed
gunslinger. In this case, the suggestion may be that the sleeve garter facilitates freedom of movement and aids in gunslingers’ ability to
quick draw. Today, the sleeve garter sometimes accessorizes the costumes of
rodeo participants. A small
ornamental plate called a “concho”, typically with an Old West
motif, may be attached to the garter.
Bookkeeping Day Dreaming Bookkeeper,
Norman Rockwell's 1924 illustration, shows an
accountant wearing a vest, a visor, a bow tie and very narrow sleeve garters. While the fellow is probably meant to be seen as old fashioned in his dress, the presence of sleeve garters in this picture may indicate that men who worked with papers and ink sometimes wore sleeve garters for practical reasons until the second quarter of the 20th century. ==See also==