Beaver hat
A beaver hat is a hat made from felted beaver fur. They were fashionable across much of Europe during the period 1550–1850 because the soft yet resilient material could be easily combed to make a variety of hat shapes (including the familiar top hat).[1] Smaller hats made of beaver were sometimes called beaverkins,[2] as in Thomas Carlyle's description of his wife as a child.[3]
Used winter coats worn by
To make felt, the underhairs were shaved from the beaver pelt and mixed with a vibrating hatter's bow. The matted fabric was pummeled and boiled repeatedly, resulting in a shrunken and thickened felt. Filled over a hat-form block, the felt was pressed and steamed into shape. The hat maker then brushed the outside surface to a sheen.[5]
Evidence of felted beaver hats in western Europe can be found in Chaucer's
Beaver hats were made in various styles as a matter of civil status:
- the Wellington (1820–40)
- the Paris beau (1815)
- the D'Orsay (1820)
- the Regent (1825)
- the clerical (18th century).
In addition, beaver hats were made in various styles as a matter of military status:
- the continental cocked hat (1776)
- Navy cocked hat (19th century)
- the Army shako (1837).[8]
The popularity of the beaver hat declined in the early/mid-19th century as silk hats became more fashionable across Europe.
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A silk reproduction felt hat, Lower Fort Garry NHS.
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Shapes and styles of beaver hat 1776–1825
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19th century Masonic Knights Templar Beaver Fur hat
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English military engineer John By (1779-1836)
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Edward Arthur Walton – The Beaver Hat
References
- ^ Wallace-Wells, D. "Puritan Inc." The New Republic, 2010.
- ISBN 9780486141602.
- ISBN 9781108044790.
...dainty little cap, perhaps little beaverkin (with flap turned up)...
- OCLC 1089959340.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link - ^ Brigham, Walter. "Baltimore Hats".
- ISBN 978-1499629361.
- ^ "The Role of Beaver in the European Fur Trade", accessed 2019.07.26.
- ^ Gray, Charlotte (2004). The Museum Called Canada: 25 Rooms of Wonder. Random House.
External links
Media related to Beaver hats at Wikimedia Commons