The Portland daily press., 1882-03-29
Something about Hats.
yagaries and Changes in Mems Head.
Wear during the Past Fifty Years.
[Norristown Herald.]

(Norristown Herald.1
The reaching of the minimum shape or size
of gentleman's stiff hats the present season
will Justify brief account OF at least haii
dozen revolutions in style and manufacture
that have occurred within the memory OF the
writer.
Previous to 1920, fur hats were made very
similar to the original Kossuth, or soft slouch,
with a light nap, and all Gncluding wooD SILL
ened with glue after being colored; SO they
were, If caught in rain, sure to be spoiiec-
that is, limp as rag, with the nap glued down
to the bodyi Hence it is no unusual thing 10
See man walking on the street with hand
kerchief drawn over his tile and with the cor
tners tucked under the brim; others carried an
7, oil cloth cover in the pocket to shield the nat
from possible rain storms. Very soon after
the date last mentioned water-proofng was ln-
troduced. which consisted of stiffening the
body OF the hat with gum-shellac dissolved IN
alcohol, and later in alkali, the latter
being neutralized with sulphuric acid, both OF
which modes rendered the stiffening insolubie
in hot or cold water. And very soon after also
the art of mapping these stiffened bodies with
long fur-naps came in vogue. This was called
ssroughing," the chief beauty of them being
the long waving or flush coat of fur that stood
(. "a like hair on a raccoon's back Very soon
after. also the crowns began to travel up sky
ward. IN, :, y ,,,,- rr,,cra
Sam hat was reached. which. in dimensions,
measured nine inches high and from nine to
ten and a-half inches across the top. These
hats being mostly of wool bodies, very still ,
would often weigh from one to TWO pounos.
This was not "the last ounce on the camei
back" but pounds OF inverted pyramid on on
gentlemens heads so about the sane era (lo28)
Somebody In New York or Philadelphia
thought they could take the nonsense out of
people in the matter of hats, and the "Bollvar
hat'' straight crown six and a-hali lncnes
high, was tried, Gust the hat-crown fashlona-
he a wear ago) but it was no go. A few dan
dies put them on, but they were soon laughed
off the street. Even the glorious name simon
Bolivar &C uld not save them, and those blocks
on the hatters' shelves We're. henceforth, gwen
over to the more sensible Quakers, and became
their fashion for the past half century.
The attempt to get out reasonable hat re-
bounded and the New Workers brought Tor
ward the ten or eleven inch top without any
bell, on q nine inch high crown and brim two
and a-half inches wide, the last worn flat, with
much less concave to the brim lwhlch had
been three-fourths of an inch), making the hat
rim come down front and rear like the pitch
Of a barrack roof. At present the curve of the
brim, before setting, is three-sixteenths OF an
inch.
But another sweeping revolution was at
hand. Between the years of 1880 and and 1888,
the silk hat, then clumsy, top-heavy article
the silk stuck on wool or muslin bodies
was imported from Europe. l do not know
whether England, France or Germany enjoys
the credit Of inventing them, but rich,. black
and glossy color, freedom from hair ian incum-
hra, toe all forh hate\ them start
with the people. The hat-crown was then al
so reduced in height to eight, and afterwards
to seven and a-half inches, and so small across
the top that boys gave them the name Oh
"stove-pipe." .o
During the two decades from 1880 to 1850,
however, the silk hat was contested in public
favor by the smooth nutria and clipped beaver
hat, as also by the "Russia" and Brush hats,
which were German invention, and COM
posed parely of the Russian hare's fur Hence
the name.
These hats. were very durable, but not glossy
or snowy, and silk hats continued to gain in
public favor with fashionable people until tie
former were driven out OF use.
About the period OF which l am writing
CS4S to 1850, Louis Kossutb, the Hungarian
patriot, came to our country an escaped prison.
er, by the way OF Turkey, from rebellion
against Austria, and received immense oVa-
tions in all the great cities OF our country.
From his advent dates two OF the most remark.
aUl6 luuOfatiOho uPoh VIZ PSAsS~A e'SsA~O -
our people :.
It will be remembered by onr older citizens
that while riding in public professions the
great Magyar wore a black, plant felt hat,
about five'inches high, full, curled rim, broad
band with silver buckle, and a black feather or
plume rising above the crown. The "Kossuth
and liberty furor, therefore, soon brought
soft felt hats, or the "Kossuth hat" into gener-
al use.
The other innovation dating from his visit,
IL thA rsy,r of
mastache and a full beard, which he effectu-
ally popularized.
remark further that those who desire to see
how utterly boards were out of fashion in the
Revolutionary era, have only to look at the
portrait gallery in Independence Hall, Phila-
delphia, where they will look in vain among
our early great men for mustache or chin
beard, and scarcely see even pair Oh side
whiskers. Accordingly, when Fremont ran
for President in 1856, his political friends had
to apologize, because ofa full beard, and for
his 'going into the hair movement"
To resume. The increased tax on silk plush,
as consequence of the war, has operated seri-
ously against the silk hat, as also the trebled
cost of alcohol from the same cause, which is
an important ingredient in the shellac stitfen-
ing. These have been the mill stone around
the neck of the silk hat trade for twenty years
past Manufacturers, however, have partly
met this difficulty by reducing the size OF the
silk hat, the minimum neignt NsiA inCuosl ue-
ing now reached ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
brim, the smallest stiff hat ever worn in mod
ern times.
About fifteen years ago, however, for one
season only, the fashion modelers from seven
and-a-half-inch crown brought out the bob
Logic, silk hat, which was the present height,
but full-brimmed and very bell crowned. 1t
produced sensation, like the Bolivar" but
lasted only a season, and then the silk tile
went back again to seven inches high. From
that the crowns have been steadily creeping
downward, in sympathy with the Derby smooth
hat, the only English innovation in hats that
has obtained foothold in the United States
for the past quarter OF century.
The Derby has been getting lower also,
gents head. This last described hat has
largely superseded the soft or Kossuth hat
for dress use, as it holds its shape and is notsso
easily soiled. Yet, for comfortable use, the
soft has many ground of preference, and still
hoIJs ;to own With tha middle-aoad at least