Crofut & Knapp Tales

[Garrett]

Guess on the dates of these?

 

[Brad Bowers]

1910 to 1920, I'm guessing.

Brad

 

[Brad Bowers]

This came up for auction a while back, and I picked it up pretty cheap. I thought I might as well get a late-model C&K just for the integrity of the collection and research.

5 1/4" crown, 1 7/8" overwelt brim, and 2' ribbon. The chocolate brown felt is thin and crisp. The overwelt is nicely done, and the stitches are so close to the edge of the welt that they are very visible. Very nicely proportioned.

The sweatband is incredibly brittle.

This is most likely a 1960s hat. Other than the liner, sweatband, and size marker, there are no other factory or store labels inside the hat, nor does it look like there ever were. This C&K is a lower-priced hat, and by this point in the brand's history, it was just another basic brand, like Byron, Berg, and Dunlap, rather than a higher-tier brand like Dobbs, Cavanagh, and Knox. A sad fate to befall a once-mighty brand, but it had been on the downswing since the introduction of Dobbs in 1908, which quickly overshadowed the C&K brand.

Brad

 

[danofarlington]

Guess on the dates of these?

I'm guessing earlier. The hat itself looks like it could've gone to Cuba with the Rough Riders. The Gothic script on the postcard to me is certainly pre-20s, more like the 1900s than even the 1910s.

 

[Brad Bowers]

I'm guessing earlier. The hat itself looks like it could've gone to Cuba with the Rough Riders. The Gothic script on the postcard to me is certainly pre-20s, more like the 1900s than even the 1910s.

Could very well be. It's not older than 1906, as that was the first year for Knapp-Felt.

Brad

 

[Dinerman]

 

[Brad Bowers]

The Hatman -- 1914

The following pages are from a 1914 edition of The Hatman that I recently purchased. This was the first one I have found for sale, and I was excited to get it. It's the house organ for Crofut & Knapp, sent out to their retail associates, so it's full of tips and gentle cajoling to sell more hats. It also has samples of advertising available, with many interesting models of hats on display.

I love all the references to the Cavanagh Edge in its first full year of production.

Enjoy!

Brad

 

[Brad Bowers]

 

[rlk]

Great Stuff!! Thanks for posting. Order me up a Spud!

 

[buler]

The following pages are from a 1914 edition of The Hatman that I recently purchased. This was the first one I have found for sale, and I was excited to get it. It's the house organ for Crofut & Knapp, sent out to their retail associates, so it's full of tips and gentle cajoling to sell more hats. It also has samples of advertising available, with many interesting models of hats on display.

I love all the references to the Cavanagh Edge in its first full year of production.

Enjoy!

Brad

Thanks for posting this Brad! I've been waiting for one of these to turn up. Hopefully we'll find more issues.

B

 

[DOUGLAS]

Does anyone have a derby with a Cavanagh Edge?
Fantastic Brad! Thanks for showing.

 

[buler]

I found it interesting that they say some of their hats go thru the cavanagh edge process even when the edge is to be cut off!

B

 

[Viper Man]

C&K Milan

I fished this beauty out of the bay last spring. It had lost it's original ribbon or pug and so I tacked some vintage stuff (24 ligne, midnight brown) on it that I had aquired some years ago.

Crown: 5 1/2"
Brim: 2 5/8"

 

[Brad Bowers]

Does anyone have a derby with a Cavanagh Edge?
Fantastic Brad! Thanks for showing.

Dreispitz has one, though it has binding covering the Edge. They appear to be pretty rare.

I found it interesting that they say some of their hats go thru the cavanagh edge process even when the edge is to be cut off!

The cynic in me suspects these were mostly factory rejects, where the finished Edge was flawed in some way. There is so much labor involved in making these, and I had to think the number of rejects could be numerous, even with skilled labor. Cutting off the Edge allows you to sell them anyway and still claim the use of the process.

Nice straw, Viper Man. I like the new ribbon.

Brad

 

[Viper Man]

Thanks, Brad! I like your blog. Keep up the great work!

 

[Corky]

Great work, Brad...

...your work is invaluable to anyone who is trying to understand the evolution of the American hat industry in the 19th century.

Thanks.

 

[besdor]

Brad should write a book about hats.


Steven
www.bencrafthats.com

 

[danofarlington]

Brad should write a book about hats.


Steven
www.bencrafthats.com

But would he be required to wear a hat while writing?

 

[Lefty]

Brad should finish a book about hats.
Steven
www.bencrafthats.com

fixed.

 

[Brad Bowers]

In a bit of shameless self promotion and to resubscribe myself to this thread after the upgrade, I'm letting you know I've posted a new article on my blog today. I'll bet you thought I had given up on it, too.

Just click the link in my signature.

Brad