Ingenuity. Individuality. Enduring. These are some of the themes that emerge when you look back at the past 250 years of American history. They also describe Levi’s® jeans, the quintessential American garment.
It’s hard to talk about America without mentioning denim and Levi’s®. Denim’s story started, as many great American stories do, with immigrants and an idea. Following the California Gold Rush, Levi Strauss, an immigrant from Bavaria, and Jacob Davis, a Latvian tailor, came together with a simple idea: reinforce points of strain on work pants with copper rivets. They received U.S. patent #139,121 for their riveted “XX waist overalls,” and the modern blue jean was born. After the patent expired, Levi assigned the “XX overalls” a three-digit lot number: 501. That number is still used today, more than 150 years later, to identify our iconic five-pocket, straight-fit, button-fly jean.
The 501® Original revolutionized workwear and turned Levi’s® jeans into the pants that people have reached for at key moments in their lives for more than a century. Cowboys wore them in the American West. They became symbols of rebellion for teenagers. Activists have turned them into canvases of self-expression and patriotism. Celebrities like Bruce Springsteen and Beyoncé have donned Levi’s®, as have WWII-era women pilots, astronauts like Sally Ride and revolutionary minds like Einstein and Steve Jobs.
Simple, tough and endlessly adaptable, our jeans have become so much more than just a good pair of pants — they are now a symbol of American identity.
That arc — from reinforced working pants to cultural touchstone — is a uniquely American story that’s now on display at The Vault’s newest exhibit, “An American Original: From Innovation to Icon.” Open now through December 2, the exhibit features artifacts that span the full sweep of this story, including one of the earliest pairs of riveted denim work pants from 1879; the Trucker jacket owned by Al Smith, who argued at the Supreme Court for his right to use peyote in religious ceremonies; and the story of José Hernandez, who crossed the border into California wearing his 501® jeans and whose family still calls him “Levi” to this day. There are even some surprises, like a custom Jeep CJ/5 Renegade in “jeans.”
Guided exhibit tours are available starting July 14. Space is limited, so book your tour today.
You can also see this story featured in a segment on ABC News airing on July 4 that gives viewers a rare look inside our Archives and the stories behind some of the most historically significant pieces in our collection. Check out a preview of the segment below:
Levi’s® jeans might not be 250 years old, but they have withstood the test of time. More than 170 years after it was invented, the 501® Original is still here. It has the same five pockets, the same button fly. It’s still being worn by people doing extraordinary things.
Because some things don’t need to be reinvented. They just need to be worn.
