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All Bonnets, No Sonnets

Whether worn as protection, status, fashion statement, or attitude, hats were once a must.



I’ve always loved the design of hats, though I am not a wearer. Those one-size-fits-all styles are not meant for my head. The tag should read one-size-fits-some. Having a hat custom made would be way too much of a commitment for me. And who could have just one?


During this time of year, the hat-obsessed will be putting the final touches on their bonnets – ready for their strut down Fifth Avenue in New York City’s famous Easter Parade.


While the actual Easter Parade won’t happen again this year (likely to be streamed online, again), I’ve put together a curated collection from the late 19th and early 20th centuries in celebration of hats. What were the fashionables wearing in those times, and how were they advertised?


Wide brimmed and narrow, some tall, some not, some fancy, some colorful, some plaid, some plain. She doted on changing hats at every opportunity. ~ William Goldman, The Princess Bride

Patents Established


Hat’s Off to Mary


The first woman to apply for and receive a US patent in her own name was Mary Dixon Kies. On 5 may 1809, her patent was issued for the process of weaving straw with silk. This rejuvenated New England’s hat-making industry, hurt by a ban on European imports.


Tip of the Cap to David


Another patented breakthrough in millinery came from inventor David Scrymgeour. For his improvements in the manufacture of hats and bonnets, he was awarded a patent on 5 december 1871 for creating new materials and processes in hat-making.

 

Cat-titude to Spare


As a tone setter, from Ohrbach's, the long-gone department store on 34th Street, comes the humorous cat-with-a-hat ad. This great 1957 ad from DDB, an agency that produced some of the most famous ads for the store, projects a cat with a well-dressed attitude. Because you can only wear a hat with confidence – you can’t hide in a hat!



Some hats can only be worn if you’re willing to be jaunty, to set them at an angle and to walk beneath them with a spring in your stride as if you’re only a step away from dancing. They demand a lot of you. ~ Neil Gaiman, Anansi Boys


Anything But Old Hat


Take a look at some fabulous hats, illustrations and ads – shown chronologically from the late 19th century through 1927. Expand the slideshow to view entire images.



 

Mad as a Hatter


To end with a topper chuckle, fantastical chapeaus from 1896… Enjoy!



What’s your stand on hats?




Top photo: Women's Spring Hats from the Illinois Library Digital Collection, 1934, rights unknown – contact library. | Ohrbach's ad, © DDB. | Mixed copyrights for slideshow images, please follow links for information if commercial use is desired.

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