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Guayabera 1895 to 1898 |
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A simple garment, the Guayabera was based on a traditional Cuban work jacket. The guayabera had existed in one form or another for many years as a fatigue jacket worn by soldiers of the permanent garrison of Cuba. However, the regulation pattern, like the example shown here, did not appear until 1895 when expeditionary forces arrived from Spain. These troops had been issued one guerrera for service dress and one guayabera for campaign dress. Period photos indicate this style uniform to be the one most often encountered by American troops in Cuba during the Santiago campaign. The garment's characteristic features, shoulder yoke construction, pleats down the front and center back and four large cargo pockets on the skirt, made the garment practical and gave it a somewhat jaunty, military air. All the Spanish issued specimens encountered have been made of rayadillo. Most examples have a concealed button fly front. Buttons are generally made of natural colored bone. Shoulder strap and pocket buttons will sometimes be covered in rayadillo cloth. White cotton linings are minimal and are generally confined to the interior yoke area. As the Guayabera was principally a field service uniform, it will seldom be seen with colored cuffs, except for officers who needed them to display their rank.
A Spanish regular wearing the regulation 1895 pattern guayabera. Note his sergeant's rank insignia pinned to his cuffs. Detail of a cabinet card photo taken in Sagua la Grande, Cuba, ca. 1896 The guayabera was predominately worn by regular army personnel in Cuba and by the soldiers of the 15 Expeditionary Cazadores battalions sent to the Philippines. I have not observed any use of it in Puerto Rico from period sources and would be very interested in hearing of any primary documentation proving its military use on that island. Volunteers seldom wore the regulation guayabera but a few images have been noted showing volunteer officers dressed in locally tailored copies.
A soldier of Infantería Regimiento "Asia" Nº 55 dressed in a guayabera with his brass unit numbers attached to the collar. Photo courtesy of Agustin Garces Amo
Front view of a regulation guayabera showing the principle features of the garment including the shoulder yoke, fly closure, pleats and large skirt pockets
Detail of the upper front showing the collar, yoke and shoulder straps.
Reverse view showing the central back pleats.
Shoulder Strap detail. Note the cloth covered button.
Skirt pockets, two on each side with a decorative bone button at the top of the dividing line of stitching.
Interior view of the white cotton shoulder lining. |
