Bankruptcy barrel

Not intended to be realistic, it consists of a suit made of only a wooden barrel held on by suspenders, indicating that the subject is so poor that he is unable to afford even clothes.

[2] The Max Fleischer animated short "Ace of Spades" in 1931 displayed several characters reduced to bankruptcy wearing barrels.

Will Johnstone's editorial-cartoon character "the Tax Payer", first published in the New York World-Telegram in 1933 and regularly thereafter, showed the taxpayer reduced to wearing a barrel for clothing.

However, Wendy's founder Dave Thomas (out of desire not to see him remove the barrel to fish for change) offers to pay for the man's meal.

[9] In "Hollywood Steps Out" and the first Captain Underpants book, the barrel is used as a visual euphemism implying that the character is actually naked.