Did your father, grandfather wear a hat? It used to be said "If you want to get ahead, get a hat." Look at films of street scenes from the early 1900s and everyone is wearing one.
Continuing to catch up with Gresham College lectures, Timothy Long, Curator of Fashion & Decorative Arts at the Museum of London, explores the history of the bowler hat. You can read the transcript, which is not complete, but I recommend taking the time to view the presentation which has interesting extra information. Both are at http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-history-of-the-bowler-hat.
The earliest newspaper reference to a bowler hat that I could find was in The Times in 1856, a court case in Taunton "They had on their heads "bowler" hats fastened under the chin."
2 comments:
I bought one in the UK in 2012. The problem is that for most of the year in Canada it is either too hot or too cold to wear it. ;)
Pat G must live in eastern Canada as the bowler hat would just be great in British Columbia!
Frank P.
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