Chevron: Trending or Long-standing Tradition?

(Photo Cred: Divine Consign)

I recently stumbled upon this American Civil War portrait on Daily Observations From The Civil War.

They regularly post such pictures of officers either stoned-faced or mildly smirking from their experience of being in such a portentous picture of themselves. I usually glance over them or laugh when I come across ones where the soldier is playfully showing off their gun or saber.

However, I was drawn to the description of this picture as it explained that ole’ boy on the left had “a single chevron on his left sleeve and two on his right.” (Source: dotcw.com) My first thought was, “Did the chevron pattern originate in the military?” And if so, what an odd place!

Aside from ending the thought on “who in the world thought to popularize an insignia into a pattern of craze for women,” I decided to do some digging. It turns out that the chevron pattern has been around for some millennia. It first came on scene in Greece (Of course, the Greeks came up with everything!) in 1800 B.C.

For you ladies out there who want to know more, check out this post from an authentic Austin, TX blog: The Austintic Boutique.

Guys, Greeks used this pattern on pottery, Romans on floors, and the military on uniforms to distinguish one’s rank, merit, or length of service. Now, people design with it, women wear it, and it’s hard to not find it everywhere!

Until next time, Chevron is a pattern and not the corporation that provides us with gas…