The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-11-10
HISTORY OF HIGH HATS.
Curious Headgear Worn by CeIebri-
ties I'm Old England.
London Hatters' Gazette

London Hatters' Gazette.
Ever since a certain John Hetherington,
on Jan. Is, 1897, appeared in the Strand
wearing, to quote a newspaper report Of
the period, upon his head what he called
a silk hat, a tall structure having a shiny
luster and calculated TO brighten timid
people," the top hat which, to quote the
~''Thunderer' of the same date, was "des-
tined to work a revolution in ~headgear,"
has been the headgear of the mighty, and
in the case Of Joseph Hume. the political
reformer and fnancier, and some others, a
mighty headgear. Joseph Hume, says the
Globe, in one of it's chatty Turnovers, who,
when member Of Parliament for Middlesex,
proposed in 1884 a fixed duty on imported
corn. apparently had the largest head of
any man famous in English history, judg-
ing from some interesting statistics respect
ing the ~headpieces of celebrities which were
forwarded, together with a travelling cap,
by an admirer to Mr.. Gladstone in 1897. His
size of hats. indeed. was S15. or half a size
larger than that Of DR.. Thomson, who sue
ceeded Archbishop Longley at York, and Of
Daniel O'Connell, whose head covering,
which was on view a few years ago at a
meeting of the County Kildare Archaeology
ical Society at Mas, measured So inches in
NlQIn ana ten lnCneS IN us longest uldIle-
ter, and was of sufficient dimensions COM
pletely to e~Xtinguish the chairman Of the
meeting as far as the chin when he elected
to try IT on. Following Daniel O'Connell in
the size of headgear comes DR.. Thomas
Chalmers, the eminent theOlOgian, and one
of the few Britons who have been elected
members of the French institute, and fol-
lowing him w. NJ. Thackeray, who was a
short head, in sporting parlance. in front
Of Mr.. Gladstone, Charles Dickens and
Robert Burns, whose head was never
EraCQ6 hV a tall silk hat for the nOpf died
exactly six months before the happening
Of the stirring event that marked the occa-
sion of the birth of the tall hat.
The painstaking correspondent Of the
Grand Old Man did not conclude his statis-
teal record of headpieces with Burns, but
extended it so far as to record the fact that
our King Edward VII requires a No. z
head covering, his nephew of Germany a
hat bearing the mystic figures of 67s, the
of Cornwall and York a topper of the
proportions represented by the size 6@-in-
formation that the original recipient found,
gift, full of interest Large as some of
these mighty head coverings appear. they
would, If placed side by side with a couple
Luton, appear almost insignificant. In the
one case the crown of the straw erection
measured ABOUT twelve inches high. and
across the brim the measurement was GA
feet; the hat, which required the services Of
three experienced men to block and iron ii,
contained no fewer than 200 yards of jumbo
Dldll. III lllCll MluGs dllu lldL Hat UOA MI
which it Travelled TO Newcastle australia
measured seven feet square and was two
feet deep. The second straw" was even
larger. for it measured over seven feet
across the brim, tWenty-One feet round the
brim and three feet round the crown; more
over, it contained go yards of dark blue
and white jumbo plat. and no fewer than
four men of vast experience were occupied
in its manufacture. Wearing this, the
largest hat in the world. even Lablache,
the great singer. who, overcome with emo
ton. once entered the royal presence wear
ing a hat on his head and carrying one in
his hand, could not have become oblivious
to its presence. 1t will be recalled by come
old %playgoers that when Queen Victoria,
DESTROYS. perhaps. of putting the great
baSsO of the century and her old tutor at
blache, you have got one hat too many"
the singer wittily and promptly replied.
Pardon. your Majesty, there are two hats
too many for a man who has lost his head"
topper" Of the period was styled a cas-
tor" a title that gave rise 10 the retort
uttered by the first Baron Chelmsford when
coming away. from a reception with Lord
COckburn and Sir Frederick Pollock. Said
C~ockburn. chief justice: = can't find my
CASTOR Then try Pollack's." rejoined the
lord chancellor. When the century closed
NJ. Carolus Duran styled the unpopular but
only head covering worn by polite male So
ciety in town the last word of the hor-
rible,' but. Notwithstanding the vitupera-
tons Of the artistic and the slang OF the
period. the top hat continues on its career,
undeterred by the hard things said about
IL. The reason OF this lies in the startling
fact that the topper though most easily
damaged. is one OF the most indestructible
OF things-a fact that ought to prove con-
sOling 10 those members OF Parliament who.
like Sir +. Powell, in 1897. after delivering
a crushing speech, likewise crush their top
hats by sitting on them. or have them
crushed by others. This was the fortune Of