Fire Hat, "Eagle Hose Company"
date: label: date made
content: 1850-1860
name: label: associated
content: Eagle Hose Company
label: maker
content: unknown
notes: label: Description
content: Beginning in the late 18th century, some volunteer fire fighters began to wear hats painted with their company’s name to identify themselves at chaotic fire scenes. During the 19th century, these fire hats became more ornate, as portraits of historical figures, patriotic scenes, allegorical images, or company icons were painted alongside the company’s name, motto, or founding date. Made of pressed felt, these “stove-pipe” hats were primarily used in Philadelphia, but other nearby cities such as Baltimore and Washington adopted them as well. Fire hats were personal items with the owner’s initials often painted on the top of the hat. While these hats were worn at fires, they are more colloquially known as “parade hats.” Fire companies commonly marched in the many parades of the period and these ornate hats contributed to the visual culture of their day. These distinguishing features in a company’s regalia often proclaimed the members’ cultural and political identity as well as their position on contested topics such as work, religion and immigration.
label: Description
content: This hat was used in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during the first half of the 19th century. The hat is painted black, with a painted image on the front of the hat depicting a spread-winged eagle in front of a sunburst gripping a red banner in its talon that reads “EAGLE HOSE COMPANY” painted in gold. The company’s initials “EHC” (Eagle Hose Company) are painted in gold calligraphic script on the back of the hat. The owner’s initials “JW” are encircled by a golden wreath on the crown of the hat. Founded in 1851 and incorporated in 1852, the Eagle Fire Hose Company (Penn District) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania operated until around 1855. The imagery on this hat is very similar to other fire hats in the collection—2005.0233.0029 and 2005.0233.0030—pointing to a common artist or local artistic style. The bald eagle was adopted by the Continental Congress as the national symbol of the United States in 1782. As a patriotic symbol of liberty and freedom, the eagle was a frequently used icon among early American volunteer fire departments.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States
topic: label: Subject
content: Eagles
label: Subject
content: Fire Fighting
label: Subject
content: Fraternal Associations
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Fire Fighting and Law Enforcement
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content: Cultures & Communities
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content: Clothing & Accessories
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content: Fire Hats
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content: Work
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content: Firefighting Collection
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content: Art
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: McCosker, M.J.. The Historical Collection of the Insurance Company of North America
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of CIGNA Museum and Art Collection
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2005.0233.0034
label: catalog number
content: 2005.0233.0034
label: accession number
content: 2005.0233
objectType: label: Object Name
content: hat, fire
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: painted (overall production method/technique)
label: Physical Description
content: fabric, pressed felt (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: black (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: multicolor (decorative eagle color)
label: Physical Description
content: red (decorative banner color)
label: Physical Description
content: gold (decoration; inscriptions color)
label: Physical Description
content: paint (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 6 in x 12 1/2 in x 14 in; 15.24 cm x 31.75 cm x 35.56 cm