2-832-902 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

A Pullman Porter uniform jacket and trousers owned by Robert Jackson Thomas. Being a Pullman porter was one of the jobs that helped build the black middle class in America, and Pullman porters were key figures in the civil-rights movement. The jacket is made from a heavy wool-like material with a two inch collar and lined with a lighter black textured fabric. There are six metal outer buttons stamped with "PULLMAN" and six inner navy plastic buttons running down the opening of the coat. Each sleeve has two buttons on the cuff and a small square textile design on the wrist. The outside of the jacket has single-welt pockets on the left breast, on the right hip, and in the interior liner of the right breast. A sewn label directly under the interior pocket reads “Wanamaker & Brown / Philadelphia” in yellow thread on black fabric.