Hat
1590-1670 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Felt hats in a wide variety of styles were worn by both men and women in the late 16th and throughout the 17th centuries. They were appropriate riding head wear for aristocratic women, and were worn indoors and out by middle-class and gentry women.
Hat-making was a complicated procedure and by the 17th century it was often divided into the two crafts of felt-making and hatting. In the former, the fur -- either beaver or rabbit -- was removed from the pelt and shaped and felted into a cone-shaped hood. The hatter purchased these felt hoods and shaped them over a wooden block to create the desired height of crown and width of brim. The hats were then dyed, smoothed and trimmed.
Hat-making was a complicated procedure and by the 17th century it was often divided into the two crafts of felt-making and hatting. In the former, the fur -- either beaver or rabbit -- was removed from the pelt and shaped and felted into a cone-shaped hood. The hatter purchased these felt hoods and shaped them over a wooden block to create the desired height of crown and width of brim. The hats were then dyed, smoothed and trimmed.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Beaver fur; felted, blocked |
| Brief description | Man's or woman's hat, 1590-1670, English; black beaver felt, mid-height crown, wide brim |
| Physical description | A man's or woman's hat made of a single piece of felt from beaver fur, with a wide brim and mid-height, flat-topped crown. The pack threads used in the blocking process are visible at the base of the crown and the initials 'FM' stamped on them. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | F M (Stamped over the impression of the pack threads used to shape the felt hood, possibly the initials of the hatter who did the final blocking and finishing of the hat.) |
| Credit line | Given by Lady Spickernell |
| Object history | Donated by Lady Spickernell in 1938, with a collection of 17th century hats and men's wear, which came from her mother's side of the family, the Cottons of Etwall Hall in Derbyshire. |
| Historical context | Felt hats in a wide variety of styles were worn by men and women in the late 16th and throughout the 17th centuries. They were appropriate riding head wear for aristocratic women and were worn indoors and out by middle-class and gentry women. |
| Summary | Felt hats in a wide variety of styles were worn by both men and women in the late 16th and throughout the 17th centuries. They were appropriate riding head wear for aristocratic women, and were worn indoors and out by middle-class and gentry women. Hat-making was a complicated procedure and by the 17th century it was often divided into the two crafts of felt-making and hatting. In the former, the fur -- either beaver or rabbit -- was removed from the pelt and shaped and felted into a cone-shaped hood. The hatter purchased these felt hoods and shaped them over a wooden block to create the desired height of crown and width of brim. The hats were then dyed, smoothed and trimmed. |
| Bibliographic reference | Lucas, Armelle, 'Beaver Hat', in North, Susan and Jenny Tiramani, eds, Seventeenth-Century Women’s Dress Patterns, vol.2, London: V&A Publishing, 2012, pp.144-145
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.22-1938 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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