A collection of 18th and 19th centuries men's beaver felt hatsWoman in a Flowered Hat (1889), byPierre-Auguste Renoir: Straw hat with brim decorated with cloth flowers and ribbons
Ahat is ahead covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, comedy, safety, or as afashion accessory.[1] Hats which incorporate mechanical features, such as visors, spikes, flaps,braces orbeer holders shade into the broader category ofheadgear.
In the past, hats were an indicator ofsocial status.[2] In themilitary, hats may denote nationality, branch of service, rank orregiment.[3] Police typically wear distinctive hats such aspeaked caps orbrimmed hats, such as those worn by theRoyal Canadian Mounted Police. Some hats have a protective function. As examples, thehard hat protects construction workers' heads from injury by falling objects, a British policeCustodian helmet protects the officer's head, asun hat shades the face and shoulders from the sun, acowboy hat protects against sun and rain and anushanka fur hat with fold-down earflaps keeps the head and ears warm. Some hats are worn for ceremonial purposes, such as themortarboard, which is worn (or carried) during university graduation ceremonies. Some hats are worn by members of a certain profession, such as theToque worn by chefs, or themitre worn by Christianbishops but sometimes worn by thePope for certain events but disappeared when the discontinuedpapal tiara replaced it starting from the8th century AD. Adherents of certain religions regularly wear hats, such as theturban worn bySikhs, or thechurch hat that is worn as aheadcovering by Christian women during prayer and worship.[4]
The 27,000-to-30,000-year-oldVenus of Willendorf may depict a woman wearing a woven hat.
While there are not many official records of hats before 3,000 BC, they probably were commonplace before that. The 27,000-to-30,000-year-oldVenus of Willendorf figurine may depict a woman wearing a woven hat.[5] One of the earliest known confirmed hats was worn by aBronze Age man (nicknamedÖtzi) whose body (including his hat) was found frozen in a mountain between Austria and Italy, where he had been since around 3250 BC. He was found wearing a bearskin cap with a chin strap, made of several hides stitched together, essentially resembling aRussian fur hat without the flaps.[6][7][8]
One of the first pictorial depictions of a hat appears in a tomb painting fromThebes, Egypt, which shows a man wearing a conical straw hat, dated to around 3200 BC. Hats were commonly worn in ancient Egypt. Many upper-class Egyptiansshaved their heads, then covered it in aheaddress intended to help them keep cool. Ancient Mesopotamians often wore conical hats or ones shaped somewhat like an inverted vase.
Hats as an indicator of social status: aforeman (with horse) wears a hat of greater height than the accompanyinginquilino (1821Chile).
Other early hats include thePileus, a simple skull-like cap; thePhrygian cap, worn by freed slaves in Greece and Rome (which became iconic in America during theRevolutionary War and theFrench Revolution, as a symbol of the struggle for liberty against the Monarchy); and the Greekpetasos, the first known hat with a brim. Women wore veils, kerchiefs, hoods, caps andwimples.
Like Ötzi, theTollund Man was preserved to the present day with a hat on, probably having died around 400 BC in a Danish bog, which mummified him. He wore a pointed cap made of sheepskin and wool, fastened under the chin by a hide strap.[9]
In the Middle Ages, hats were a marker of social status and used to single out certain groups. The 1215Fourth Council of the Lateran required that all Jews identify themselves by wearing theJudenhat ("Jewish hat"), marking them as targets forantisemitism.[11] The hats were usuallyyellow and were either pointed or square.[12]
Carle Vernet's 1796 painting showing two decadent French "Incredibles" greeting each other, one with what appears to be a top hat, perhaps its first recorded appearance.
In the Middle Ages, hats for women ranged from simple scarves to elaboratehennin,[13] and denoted social status. Structured hats for women similar to those of male courtiers began to be worn in the late 16th century.[14] The term 'milliner' comes from the Italian city ofMilan, where the best quality hats were made in the 18th century. Millinery was traditionally a woman's occupation, with the milliner not only creating hats and bonnets but also choosing lace, trimmings and accessories to complete an outfit.[15]
In the first half of the 19th century, women wore bonnets that gradually became larger, decorated with ribbons, flowers, feathers, and gauzetrims. By the end of the century, many other styles were introduced, among them hats with wide brims and flat crowns, the flower pot and the toque. By the middle of the 1920s, when women began to cut their hair short, they chose hats that hugged the head like a helmet.[14]
The tradition of wearing hats tohorse racing events began at theRoyal Ascot in Britain, which maintains a strict dress code. All guests in the Royal Enclosure must wear hats.[16] This tradition was adopted at other horse racing events, such as theKentucky Derby in the United States.[17]
Cover of Australasian Post With Miss Chinatown wearing aChristian Dior hat in the 1960s
Extravagant hats were popular in the 1980s, and in the early 21st century, flamboyant hats made a comeback, with a new wave of competitive young milliners designing creations that include turban caps,trompe-l'œil-effect felt hats and tall headpieces made of human hair. Some new hat collections have been described as "wearable sculpture". Many pop stars, among themLady Gaga, have commissioned hats as publicity stunts.[18]
The Philippi Collection is a collection of religious headgear assembled by a German entrepreneur, Dieter Philippi, located inKirkel.[28] The collection features over 500 hats,[29] and is currently the world's largest collection of clerical, ecclesiastical and religious head coverings.[30]
A brimless cap, made from triangular panels of material joined by a button at the crown and seamed together around the sides, with or without a smallvisor, once popular among schoolboys. Sometimes includes a propeller. In New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom and some parts of the United States,beanie refers to theknit cap.
A soft, round cap, usually of woollen felt, with a bulging flat crown and tight-fitting brimless headband. Worn by both men and women and traditionally associated withBasque people,France, and the military.
A broad-brimmed, felt hat with brim folded up and pinned front and back to create a long-horned shape. Also known as acocked hat. Worn by European military officers in the 1790s and, as illustrated, commonly associated withNapoleon.
A hard, felt hat with a rounded crown, created in 1850 by Lock's ofSt James's, thehatters to Thomas Coke, 2ndEarl of Leicester, for his servants. More commonly known as aderby in the United States.
Aconical straw hat associated with East and Southeast Asia. Sometimes known as a "coolie hat", although the term "coolie" may be interpreted as derogatory.[32][33]
A hat of the indigenous peoples of the Appalachian region, fashioned from the skin and fur of araccoon, that became associated with Canadian andAmerican frontiersmen of the 18th and 19th centuries
A high-crowned, wide-brimmed hat, with a sweatband on the inside, and a decorative hat band on the outside. Early models such as theBoss of the Plains could be customized by creasing the crown and rolling the brim.[34]
A warm, close-fittingtweed cap, with brims front and behind and ear-flaps that can be tied together either over the crown or under the chin. Originally designed for use whilehunting in theclimate of Scotland. Worn by – and so closely associated with – the characterSherlock Holmes.
A rounded, rigid helmet with a small brim, predominantly used in workplace environments, such as construction sites, to protect the head from injury by falling objects, debris and bad weather
A semi-formal hat of fur felt, with a single dent running down the centre of the crown, a wide silk grosgrain hatband ribbon, a flat brim shaped in a "pencil curl", and a ribbon-bound trim about the edge of the brim (Winston Churchill wearing a homburg)
A hemispherical cap worn by Jews to fulfill the customary requirement held by halachic authorities that the head be covered at all times (IDF soldier, Lt.Asael Lubotzky, prays withkippah andtefillin.)
A knitted hat, worn in winter, usually made from wool or acrylic. In New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom and some parts of the United States, the termbeanie is applied to this cap, while in Canada it is known as atuque.
A soft conical cap, pulled forward. In sculpture, paintings and caricatures it represents freedom and the pursuit of liberty. The popular cartoon charactersthe Smurfs wear white or red Phrygian caps.
Also known as abeaver hat, amagician's hat, or, in the case of the tallest examples, astovepipe hat. A tall, flat-crowned, cylindrical hat worn by men in the 19th and early 20th centuries, now worn only with morning dress or evening dress. Cartoon charactersUncle Sam andMr. Monopoly are often depicted wearing such hats. Once made from felted beaver fur.
A soft hat with a low crown and broad brim, pinned up on either side of the head and at the back, producing a triangular shape. Worn by Europeans in the 18th century. Larger, taller, and heavily ornamented brims were present in France and thePapal States.
Hat sizes are determined by measuring thecircumference of a person's head about 1 centimetre (2⁄5 in) above the ears. Inches or centimeters may be used depending on the manufacturer.Felt hats can be stretched for a custom fit. Some hats, likehard hats andbaseball caps, are adjustable. Cheaper hats come in "standard sizes", such as small, medium, large, extra large: the mapping of measured size to the various "standard sizes" varies from maker to maker and style to style, as can be seen by studying various catalogues, such asHammacher Schlemmer.[35]
US hat size is a measurement of head diameter in inches. It can be computed from a measurement of circumference in centimeters by dividing by 8, because multiplying 2.54 (the number of centimeters per inch) byπ (the multiplier to give circumference from diameter) is almost exactly 8.
Hat fashions have sometimes been the subject of ridicule. This 1908 cartoon byIon Theodorescu-Sion, which first appeared in aRomanian publication, satirised the popularity ofmushroom hats.
New York City, 1918: A large crowd of people, almost all wearing hats
Family-owned hat factory inMontevarchi, Italy, date unknown
Millinery department ofBourne & Hollingsworth, in London'sOxford Street in 1942. Unlike most other clothing, hats were not strictly rationed inwartime Britain and there was an explosion of adventurous millinery styles.
^"What are Church Hats?".Southern Living.Southern Living. Archived fromthe original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved10 May 2022.Church hats have been a key part of churchgoers' Sunday best for years, and are still an important aspect of dress in some churches today. The practice of covering one's head for church originally came from the Bible—1 Corinthians 11:15, to be precise. The simple head covering has been adapted and expanded to become a stylish part of Southern women's churchgoing attire. At the turn of the century, many Southern ladies wore simple hats to church out of respect, reverence for the service, and continuity with passed-down traditions. The church hat tradition continues today, with hats—sometimes called crowns—in bright colors, bold patterns, and eye-catching styles at Sunday services across the South.
^For an account of the Sharp family's hat-making business, see Knapman, D. – 'Conversation Sharp – The Biography of a London Gentleman,Richard Sharp (1759–1835), in Letters, Prose and Verse'. [Private Publication, 2004]. British Library.
^Klinkenborg, Verlyn (2009-02-03)."Season of the chullo". International Herald Tribune. Archived fromthe original on January 30, 2009. Retrieved2011-07-02.
^Most current dictionaries do not record any offensive meaning ("an unskilled laborer or porter usually in or from India hired for low or subsistence wages"Merriam-WebsterArchived 2008-01-26 at theWayback Machine) or make a distinction between an offensive meaning in referring to "a person from the Indian subcontinent or of Indian descent" and an at least originally inoffensive, old-fashioned meaning, for example "dated an unskilled native labourer in India, China, and some other Asian countries" (Compact Oxford English Dictionary). However, some dictionaries indicate that the word may be considered offensive in all contexts today. For example,LongmanArchived 2006-11-27 at theWayback Machine's 1995 edition had "old-fashioned an unskilled worker who is paid very low wages, especially in parts of Asia", but the current version adds "taboo old-fashioned a very offensive word ... Do not use this word".
^Snyder, Jeffrey B. (1997).Stetson Hats and the John B. Stetson Company 1865–1970. Atglen: Schiffer. p. 5.ISBN0-7643-0211-6.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
![17th century openwork hat Metropolitan Museum of Art[36]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aHat_MET_1988.342.1a.jpg)
