What patent number covered Levi Strauss’s riveted work trousers in 1873?

The 1873 riveted-trousers patent was U.S. Patent No. 139,121.

The patent was granted on May 20, 1873, to Levi Strauss and Jacob W. Davis. It protected the use of copper rivets to reinforce stress points in work trousers, especially pocket corners and the base of the button fly. This innovation helped distinguish the trousers from ordinary work pants.

The patent did not create every feature associated with modern jeans. Denim fabric, pockets, stitching, a button fly, and later branding all developed within a broader history of workwear. The patent specifically addressed reinforcement with rivets, which reduced tearing during hard physical labor.

A common mix-up is treating 1873 as the year a finished modern 501 model appeared. The patent date is earlier than the later model naming and branding used by Levi Strauss & Co.