German & Austrian Hutmachers

[mayserwegener]

This one worked out well. I took a chance buying this one, not knowing the size. There were several member here hoping it would be theirs, but it is my size in fact.
Hückel Prima velour. Size 56 with the overwelt brim at 5,5cm (-ish) and the crown at 11cm at the center dent. Sellers' pics had it look awkward because she tried forcing the brim down like a fedora. It's not that kind of hat. A pre-war model the Germans and Austrians would likely call a "mode-hut". The felt is everything you'd expect from a pre-war Hückel. The A V on the label has me puzzled a bit. I'm sure I could find it on Steve's site, but I haven't looked yet. Anyway, here it is.

Stefan, Fantastic find! It's a real beauty and the Velour is pristine with super gloss. I really like the Brim Flange and Bow design. Also a unique sweatband cord / bow. I think "A V" could be "Alpha Velour". All the French Market "Prima" have "A V" on the Paper Label. I have a German Market "Prima" that is a Trachten style and the Paper Label has "Prima Vel.". I have photos (from an auction) of another German market "Prima" but it doesn't have a Paper Label photo.

 

[mayserwegener]

View attachment 527025 View attachment 527026 View attachment 527027 View attachment 527028
Berlin-Guben hat factory

public company

GUBEN


The most important hat factory, not only in Guben and the province of Brandenburg, but also in Germany and probably all of Europe, is the Berlin-Gubener Hutfabrik Aktiengesellschaft vorm. A. Cohn in Guben.


Today's large factory began in a Gubener branch established in 1876 by Apelius Cohn's Hut-Fourniture business, which had been founded in Berlin some time earlier.


At the head of this branch was his brother-in-law, Hermann Lewin.


A short time later, he started producing wool felt products, especially wool stumps.

At first it was more of a handicraft business employing 12 to 20 workers.

But after just a few years, the production of hats was taken up and particularly cultivated.

As a result, the Apelius Cohn company, of which Hermann Lewin had meanwhile become a co-owner, soon also enjoyed a good reputation as a hat factory in Germany, particularly in the production of cheroots for women's hats.

Due to the constantly growing scope of business, the owners decided to found a stock corporation and so with effect from January 1, 1888, the company went to the new stock corporation Berlin-Gubener Hutfabrik Aktiengesellschaft vorm. A. Cohn, with a share capital of one million marks under the direction of the previous owners.

On May 7, 1906, the company's founder, Apelius Cohn, was snatched away by death.

The Berlin office was confiscated and the entire line was relocated to Guben.

January 1, 1907 marked a new milestone in the development of the company.

On this day, the hat factory von Lißner, which had existed since November 1889, was connected to the company and the share capital, which had meanwhile increased to 1,250,000 marks, was increased to 3 million marks.

Since this factory was also one of the largest and most successful companies in the industry, the merger of the two factories created the basis on which the current significance of the plant rests.

On July 1, 1907, the Haarhut factory, which had previously been operated separately by the two factories, was then merged into a special operation under the Berlin-Gubener Haarhutfabrik G.m.b. H. merged.

Finally, in the early years of 1909 and 1910, semi-finished products were manufactured in the early Wülfing hat factory in Guben, which was purchased in 1908.

However, since these articles fell out of fashion, the founding of the Union Fez-Fabrik G. m. b. H. the factory was given a new purpose for the production of Turkish feze.

The World War initially hampered the further development of the company, but as early as 1918 there was further expansion through participation in the machine factory and iron foundry Wilhelm Quade G. m. b. H., a long-established special machine factory with a good reputation, to secure the supply of hat machines.

While the hair hat factory was busy even during the war, at the end of the war there was initially a shortage of raw materials for wool hat production. However, this was overcome relatively soon, so that the company was able to regain its leading position on the world market in an extremely short time.

On July 22, 1920, the company suffered a very painful loss with the death of its co-founder and managing director Hermann Lewin.

The extraordinary personality of the deceased was met with admiration and respect far beyond the scope of his professional activity.

The management now consists of Dr. Alexander Lewin and Berthold Lissner.

Due to the increase in the need for liquid funds caused by the devaluation of the mark, the share capital of 3 million marks was increased to 6 million marks in January 1920 and in the course of 1921 to 12 million marks.

Dividends paid out in the last 3 years were 18 percent, 20 percent and 10 percent bonus, 30 percent and 16%/a percent bonus.

Of the many donations for social purposes, it should only be mentioned that in the last financial year alone a workers' support fund with one million marks and an employee pension and welfare fund with 500,000 marks were founded.

Around 3,000 workers and employees are currently employed.

Based on the company's development so far, it can be hoped that the company will continue to be able to cope with foreign competition and will contribute to strengthening and increasing the respect and recognition for German work abroad.

Martin, Thank you! BGH was massive in size and output.

 

[steur]

Stefan, Fantastic find! It's a real beauty and the Velour is pristine with super gloss. I really like the Brim Flange and Bow design. Also a unique sweatband cord / bow. I think "A V" could be "Alpha Velour". All the French Market "Prima" have "A V" on the Paper Label. I have a German Market "Prima" that is a Trachten style and the Paper Label has "Prima Vel.". I have photos (from an auction) of another German market "Prima" but it doesn't have a Paper Label photo.

Thank you, Steve. Very satisfying to see this one turn out so well (and fitting me!).

 

[Steve1857]

This one worked out well. I took a chance buying this one, not knowing the size. There were several member here hoping it would be theirs, but it is my size in fact.
Hückel Prima velour. Size 56 with the overwelt brim at 5,5cm (-ish) and the crown at 11cm at the center dent. Sellers' pics had it look awkward because she tried forcing the brim down like a fedora. It's not that kind of hat. A pre-war model the Germans and Austrians would likely call a "mode-hut". The felt is everything you'd expect from a pre-war Hückel. The A V on the label has me puzzled a bit. I'm sure I could find it on Steve's site, but I haven't looked yet. Anyway, here it is.

Congrats, Stefan. An absolutely gorgeous looking Hückel Velour.

 

[marting81]

HAT FACTORY

ANTON FISHER

GUBEN


At the time when no smoking factory chimneys reached to the sky and instead of the mass-producing machine the handicraft was in its rights, the milliner's trade was proudly called: the milliner's art.

Because not only the difficulties in processing the material required the greatest expertise, but the constant search for new types and forms gave the master the right to consider himself a creator and performer of his art.

The hat factory Anton Fischer, which was founded ten years ago, set itself the noble task of letting the millinery art live on in the age of industry, upholding quality work and not letting it get lost in the hustle and bustle of modern mass production.

What taught the old craft the name of an art: the most appropriate choice of raw material, the most perfect processing and beauty of the forms.

With these principles, the hat factory Anton Fischer was able to develop quickly.

The war years, with all their inhibitions for the non-war material producing industry, could not stop the development.

The difficulties of obtaining the raw material and the latest machines had to and could be overcome.

The company grew steadily, and when relations with foreign countries could be established again in the last few years, the production expanded more and more.

The company currently employs more than 450 workers and employees, has a leading position in the hair hat industry in Germany and is worthy of the best-known companies in Austria and Italy, with which it has been able to successfully compete not only here in the country but also abroad.


The owner's social sense created facilities that set an example for the entire industry.

The factory has a workers' and clerks' provident fund, which is maintained solely by the company without any contributions from workers, and which is well funded by the constant allocation of a certain percentage of the wage bill. This fund, the administration of which is entirely in the hands of the workers and employees, provides support in the event of emergencies, deaths, births, marriages and the like through no fault of their own.

Bonuses are paid for five- and ten-year working hours and other support is granted where necessary to improve the situation.

In this way, which has brought the company to its economic and technical level, work should continue, so that the product not only strengthens the reputation of the company, but also carries the name of the hometown of Guben as a stronghold of the hat industry with honors in all countries!

 

[mayserwegener]

View attachment 527040 View attachment 527041 View attachment 527042 View attachment 527043 View attachment 527044 View attachment 527045
HAT FACTORY

ANTON FISHER

GUBEN


At the time when no smoking factory chimneys reached to the sky and instead of the mass-producing machine the handicraft was in its rights, the milliner's trade was proudly called: the milliner's art.

Because not only the difficulties in processing the material required the greatest expertise, but the constant search for new types and forms gave the master the right to consider himself a creator and performer of his art.

The hat factory Anton Fischer, which was founded ten years ago, set itself the noble task of letting the millinery art live on in the age of industry, upholding quality work and not letting it get lost in the hustle and bustle of modern mass production.

What taught the old craft the name of an art: the most appropriate choice of raw material, the most perfect processing and beauty of the forms.

With these principles, the hat factory Anton Fischer was able to develop quickly.

The war years, with all their inhibitions for the non-war material producing industry, could not stop the development.

The difficulties of obtaining the raw material and the latest machines had to and could be overcome.

The company grew steadily, and when relations with foreign countries could be established again in the last few years, the production expanded more and more.

The company currently employs more than 450 workers and employees, has a leading position in the hair hat industry in Germany and is worthy of the best-known companies in Austria and Italy, with which it has been able to successfully compete not only here in the country but also abroad.


The owner's social sense created facilities that set an example for the entire industry.

The factory has a workers' and clerks' provident fund, which is maintained solely by the company without any contributions from workers, and which is well funded by the constant allocation of a certain percentage of the wage bill. This fund, the administration of which is entirely in the hands of the workers and employees, provides support in the event of emergencies, deaths, births, marriages and the like through no fault of their own.

Bonuses are paid for five- and ten-year working hours and other support is granted where necessary to improve the situation.

In this way, which has brought the company to its economic and technical level, work should continue, so that the product not only strengthens the reputation of the company, but also carries the name of the hometown of Guben as a stronghold of the hat industry with honors in all countries!

Martin, Thank you for this information.

 

[steur]

Congrats, Stefan. An absolutely gorgeous looking Hückel Velour.

Thank you, Steve. Hard to resist these old Hückels.

 

[mayserwegener]

P. & C. Habig Wien "Export Qualität", 58cm, probably 1959 based on the Paper Label. This is Homburg Hat was made for Hut Brömme Nürnberg. Overall very high quality. Great Form and Felt Color + Finish with contrasting Band and Binding.

Open Crown

 

[marting81]

United Hutwerke A.-G. Plant Guben I

formerly Gubener Hutfabrik Steinke & Co., G.m.b. H.

Management: Mr. Curt Schmidt - Mr. Joh. Arnold.


The Guben hat factory Steinke & Co. G. m. b. H. can look back on a successful past of almost 40 years.

In terms of performance and the expansion of operations, the company is definitely one of the top players in the hat industry.

The company was founded in 1884 by Gustav Steinke.

In 1911 she was transferred to a G.m.b. H. was converted and Mr. Curt Schmidt, who had been working in the company since 1891 with few interruptions, was entrusted with the management.

Mr. Schmidt remained in this post after Mr. Rosenthal, the owner of the company Förster & Co., Luckenwalde, took the place of Mr. Steinke, who had meanwhile left, on March 1, 1914.

Initially, the company limited itself to the production of stiff wool hats.

In the effort to sell only first-class goods, the company soon managed to make an excellent name for itself in this special field in a relatively short time.

As a result of the constantly growing demands on production, the workspaces rented when the company was founded in the old Langner hat factory gradually became too small.

Therefore, in 1890, a very modern factory was built at Alte Poststraße 31, adapted down to the smallest detail to the special needs of the company, which is kept at an exemplary level through constant technical improvements and new acquisitions and is still the company's headquarters today.

In the 2-storey, 124 meter long and 14 meter deep factory building, which is adjoined by a side wing, all work and storage rooms are appropriately arranged so that the entire complicated manufacturing process can take place without any time-consuming interruptions.

The center of the large area is the boiler house with its 100 hp steam engine. There is also an electric dynamo of just 100 hp for power generation.

Thus the factory was in full bloom when war broke out and the manager of the company, Mr. Curt Schmidt, and a large part of his workers rushed to arms to do their duty to the enemy.

Obeying the needs of the time, Steinke & Co. G. m. b. H. was soon forced to convert her business to the production of war supplies in order to keep the company afloat during the long, difficult years and to be able to continue employing her old, loyal workers.

After peace had returned to the country, the company now also started making hair hats.

At first only women's hats were made, but later also soft men's hats were made in addition to the stiff ones.

Encouraged by the successes that remained true to them in this field, the company moved on to making velor hats, plumes and cheroots.

The good success of this production soon allowed the number of workers in the company to swell to over 300 workers.

At the founding of the United Hat Works Act now in existence. Ges." the company participates.

Thanks to the modern, up-to-date merger with other industrial plants, the new joint-stock company is able to manufacture all hats, including straw hats, in its own factories, and thanks to the comprehensive sales organization it is enjoying further positive development.

 

[Mean Eyed Matt]

View attachment 527444 View attachment 527445 View attachment 527446 View attachment 527447 View attachment 527448

United Hutwerke A.-G. Plant Guben I

formerly Gubener Hutfabrik Steinke & Co., G.m.b. H.

Management: Mr. Curt Schmidt - Mr. Joh. Arnold.


The Guben hat factory Steinke & Co. G. m. b. H. can look back on a successful past of almost 40 years.

In terms of performance and the expansion of operations, the company is definitely one of the top players in the hat industry.

The company was founded in 1884 by Gustav Steinke.

In 1911 she was transferred to a G.m.b. H. was converted and Mr. Curt Schmidt, who had been working in the company since 1891 with few interruptions, was entrusted with the management.

Mr. Schmidt remained in this post after Mr. Rosenthal, the owner of the company Förster & Co., Luckenwalde, took the place of Mr. Steinke, who had meanwhile left, on March 1, 1914.

Initially, the company limited itself to the production of stiff wool hats.

In the effort to sell only first-class goods, the company soon managed to make an excellent name for itself in this special field in a relatively short time.

As a result of the constantly growing demands on production, the workspaces rented when the company was founded in the old Langner hat factory gradually became too small.

Therefore, in 1890, a very modern factory was built at Alte Poststraße 31, adapted down to the smallest detail to the special needs of the company, which is kept at an exemplary level through constant technical improvements and new acquisitions and is still the company's headquarters today.

In the 2-storey, 124 meter long and 14 meter deep factory building, which is adjoined by a side wing, all work and storage rooms are appropriately arranged so that the entire complicated manufacturing process can take place without any time-consuming interruptions.

The center of the large area is the boiler house with its 100 hp steam engine. There is also an electric dynamo of just 100 hp for power generation.

Thus the factory was in full bloom when war broke out and the manager of the company, Mr. Curt Schmidt, and a large part of his workers rushed to arms to do their duty to the enemy.

Obeying the needs of the time, Steinke & Co. G. m. b. H. was soon forced to convert her business to the production of war supplies in order to keep the company afloat during the long, difficult years and to be able to continue employing her old, loyal workers.

After peace had returned to the country, the company now also started making hair hats.

At first only women's hats were made, but later also soft men's hats were made in addition to the stiff ones.

Encouraged by the successes that remained true to them in this field, the company moved on to making velor hats, plumes and cheroots.

The good success of this production soon allowed the number of workers in the company to swell to over 300 workers.

At the founding of the United Hat Works Act now in existence. Ges." the company participates.

Thanks to the modern, up-to-date merger with other industrial plants, the new joint-stock company is able to manufacture all hats, including straw hats, in its own factories, and thanks to the comprehensive sales organization it is enjoying further positive development.

Great infos on the Guben hat industrie: Thank you, Martin!

 

[marting81]

Also 1922

 

[marting81]

C.G. WILKE, GUBEN
Hair, velor and wool hat factory
Owners: Max and Siegfried Wilke

In today's time of upheaval, when every day destroys the old and brings the new, it is rare to come across a company that can look back on a hundred years of existence with justifiable pride.
But it is even rarer when today, when the impersonal joint stock company occupies the main place in large-scale industry, there are still large companies which, founded by the great-grandfather and inherited from generation to generation, are still owned by one and the same family many generations later.
In order to appreciate the cultural achievements of such a hundred-year-old house, we have to go back to the time when it was founded.
The misery of the Napoleonic oppressions and the wars of liberation had not yet been overcome, a commercial policy dependent on petty bureaucracy and small-state politics dominated economic life, and a narrow-minded guild compulsion kept every forward-striving spirit chained. How much more energy, perseverance and diligence was required at that time to find out about to work up the measure of the mediocre.
The turbulent times of the 1940s threatened to sweep all companies that were not firmly rooted into the maelstrom, and it was only the period after 1860 that brought the rise that became the basis for Germany's fame and its supremacy in the world market, decades in our entire industry, which flourished on the golden soil of handicrafts, was able to compete with the masters across the Channel with great success in almost all areas.
The company C. G. Wilke, Hutfabrik, Guben, can be regarded as a true reflection of this historical development and the cultural work done in the last century within its economic area.
It embodies the labor force of four genders and, with the wise use of fate, has risen from a small, modest craftsman's workshop to a leading large company.
However, the company C. G. Wilke, Guben, not only deserves attention as a cultural-historical mirror image, but to an even greater extent it must be considered as the founder of the German wool hat industry, which is so important today.
After all, the grandfather or great-grandfather of the current owner was the inventor of the sturdy woolen hat, the manufacture of which remained the closely guarded secret of the house for a long time.
Up to this invention - the cornerstone of the boom of the factory - it was a tedious and laborious way. which the founder of the company, old Carl Gottlieb Wilke, had to cover before he found the path through his tireless diligence and intelligence that led the company through all the storms of economic life to its current position in industry.
Carl Gottlieb Wilke came from Forst i. L., where he was born on May 28, 1796 as the second youngest son of a respectable master tailor. At the end of his school years he was apprenticed to a milliner. Referred to as a journeyman, he went on a journey of six years, which took him to southern Germany and Austria.
Here he learned the art of making brush hats from rabbit hair, which was little known in Northern Germany at the time and is still a specialty of the company today.
Since the conditions for his advancement were not given in his home town of Forst, he turned to Guben in 1822 and, at the age of 26, opened a workshop in the back house of his brother, who was already resident there, after he had presented his masterpiece in front of the Gubener milliners' guild.
The good and dignified work he delivered soon created a circle of customers for him, and so after just three years the diligent and frugal foreman was able to think of founding his own hearth.

 

[marting81]

...continued...

Just like today, fashion changed back then.
For the better classes, the top hat appeared, for the simpler people the cloth cap, and since the master, who was proud of his craft, could not make up his mind to make the top hats, which were not very durable at the time and were glued from silk-covered cardboard or wood chippings, this is how things went until now loyal customers.
As his family grew in number, his income dwindled, and the nest egg he had saved was soon depleted.
Nevertheless, he firmly believed that his well-made, durable fedoras would eventually triumph over the top hat.
Even when food worries swept into the home, he still couldn't bring himself to accommodate the change in fashion.
Finally, when the need became too great, Carl Wilke also had to start making top hats, but made them on a felt base according to the craft he had learned, so that they were more durable and stable than those glued in the bookbinding way.
A further increase in income brought the production of felt shoes, which he started with the active support of his wife, so that it was possible to feed the flock of children, which had grown to seven in the meantime.
This went on until the 1940s, when the political upheavals also brought about a change in fashion.
The hat fashion, which has so often been the outward sign of a revolution, changed; the top hat was supplanted by the democratic "Calabrese", which, made of hair felt, brought back the glory of the milliner's craft.
Inspired by English woolen felt hats, which, however, were very weak - these hats completely lost their color in the rain and shattered like glass when they fell - Master Wilke also made experiments with this material.
Although the art of making hats from sheep's wool was old - its invention is attributed to St. Clement, the fourth bishop of Rome - it always had significant shortcomings.
A drop of water caused the smoothed surface to swell pockmarked, and only finger-thick felt proved to be stable.
Using a process already known in the cloth industry, Carl Wilke came up with the idea of decatizing, i. H. treating them with dry steam under pressure in a steam drum.
Hats made from this felt became quite durable and shiny like those made from rabbit hair.
This process, which was groundbreaking for the German wool hat industry, remained the factory's carefully guarded secret for a long time.
Now sales grew enormously, more and more journeymen and workers could be hired, so that around 1860 there were already 100 people employed in the workshop.
The artisanal business had grown into a factory that could hardly fit into the small house.
If the business was to develop further, new space had to be created and commercial management added to the craft.
Master Wilke alone, the old professional craftsman and last foreman of the hat makers' guild in Guben, was not the man to exploit his inventions, which were so important and fundamental for the German hat industry, and to expand the growing business into a modern factory company.
He was too silent for that and had had to live in small and limited circumstances for too long.
Realizing this correctly, in 1859 he handed over the management of the business to his second eldest son, who later became Privy Councilor of Commerce Friedrich Wilke, who in the meantime had also given his masterpiece to the Guben milliners' guild.
For this he devoted himself entirely to his hobby of experimenting and testing, and he succeeded in finding further improvements in the manufacture of the woolen hat.
He died of old age in 1875, having been awarded the Order of the Crown by his king two years earlier.
In 1861 Friedrich Wilke took his two brothers Wilhelm and Theodor into the business.
However, since the elder Wilhelm left the factory as early as 1870 due to a serious illness, as did Theodor six years later, the expansion of the company into a global company is mainly his work; he was actively supported by his two sons Max and Fritz.
In recognition of his services to the state and city, Friedrich Wilke, who had been appointed to the Council of Commerce in 1879 and Privy Councilor of Commerce in 1886, was awarded the Kaiser Wilhelm Order in 1899 and was made an honorary citizen of his native town of Guben shortly before his death. Following the example of his father, active in the business until the last day. An accident in 1908 put an end to his richly blessed life.
Today, his son Max Fritz Wilke, who died in 1901, and his grandson Siegfried Friedrich, the great-grandson of the founder, own the company.
But let's go back to the year 1800.
Friedrich Wilke had taken over the management and, from that moment on, had no other goal than to raise the reputation of the factory.
Since the small house on Königstraße was really being used to the last corner and with the best will in the world it was no longer possible to enlarge it, the property, which is still inhabited today, was purchased and a factory, which was great for the time, was built on it, which could be occupied in 1864.
In addition, an exemplary commercial organization was created.
The Wilkesche wool hats were soon a well-known brand whose sales grew steadily.
However, the company's successes did not fall easily into its lap.
The competition at home as well as in France and England had meanwhile also learned the manufacture of felt hats.
The carefully guarded factory secrets were discovered and made public through factory espionage.
New factories were built in Guben and elsewhere.
And with the well-known preference of the Germans for everything foreign, every effort had to be made to remain the winner in this competition through quality and cheapness.
Only the head start that C.G. Wilke had gained secured it a leading position in the industry, and as early as 1874 the working space in the new factory had to be doubled.
At the same time, English and American machines were set up that were designed to replace manual work with cheaper and more precise machine work.
The mass production of woolen hats, which had gradually developed in Germany, found a welcome outlet in overseas exports, which in the 1970s and early 1980s attained considerable volume and for many years accounted for about a third of total production.
But under the protection of high tariffs, factories were set up in the overseas sales areas, exports faltered, and since the German market could not start production, hard times came for the German hat factories at the end of the 1980s.
Eventually things settled down again, and when women's felt hats became fashionable, this branch of manufacture, which always brings brisk business in the summer months, was also taken up.
Likewise, the production of hair hats, which had been neglected by the inventions in the field of woolen hats, came to the fore again and became the main article already in the last years before the world war and especially during the war itself, after the raw material for it was in contrast to the wool had remained free of confiscation.
Exports also picked up again, so that permanent representations and connections could be maintained in almost all European and many overseas countries, all of which have now been resumed after the war.
At this point it should also be mentioned that the company, originating from a time when there was no wholesale trade, has always kept working directly with the shop and today has a four-digit number of permanent customers in Germany alone, many of whom have been in constant contact with her for 50 and even 75 years.
There is hardly a city of any importance in Germany in which at least one shop does not have C.G. Wilkesche hats.
Despite the fact that the number of workers and employees today is around 1000, healthy and, as far as one can still speak of it today, almost patriarchal conditions prevail inside the factory.
The principle followed before the war of keeping the workers even in times of bad employment meant that about a fifth of the workforce has already passed their 25th anniversary and almost half can already look back on ten years of service.
This, combined with a practical settlement policy pursued long before the war by granting small mortgages and interest-free loans for the purchase of one's own property, has made it possible for the company to have a workforce at its disposal who, even in the times of the revolution, had confidence in it has not lost.
The company also has its own canteen, bathing facilities, library, health insurance company and an invalid welfare fund.
It is a difficult time as the C.G. Wilke company enters the second century of its existence.
May the vigorous spirit of enterprise, the level-headed prudence, the tireless diligence and the knowledge of the world of their owners always keep them at their current level, to their honor and to the glory of the entire German hat industry.

 

[Mean Eyed Matt]

Thanks again, Martin: Great!

 

[mayserwegener]

...continued...

Just like today, fashion changed back then.
For the better classes, the top hat appeared, for the simpler people the cloth cap, and since the master, who was proud of his craft, could not make up his mind to make the top hats, which were not very durable at the time and were glued from silk-covered cardboard or wood chippings, this is how things went until now loyal customers.
As his family grew in number, his income dwindled, and the nest egg he had saved was soon depleted.
Nevertheless, he firmly believed that his well-made, durable fedoras would eventually triumph over the top hat.
Even when food worries swept into the home, he still couldn't bring himself to accommodate the change in fashion.
Finally, when the need became too great, Carl Wilke also had to start making top hats, but made them on a felt base according to the craft he had learned, so that they were more durable and stable than those glued in the bookbinding way.
A further increase in income brought the production of felt shoes, which he started with the active support of his wife, so that it was possible to feed the flock of children, which had grown to seven in the meantime.
This went on until the 1940s, when the political upheavals also brought about a change in fashion.
The hat fashion, which has so often been the outward sign of a revolution, changed; the top hat was supplanted by the democratic "Calabrese", which, made of hair felt, brought back the glory of the milliner's craft.
Inspired by English woolen felt hats, which, however, were very weak - these hats completely lost their color in the rain and shattered like glass when they fell - Master Wilke also made experiments with this material.
Although the art of making hats from sheep's wool was old - its invention is attributed to St. Clement, the fourth bishop of Rome - it always had significant shortcomings.
A drop of water caused the smoothed surface to swell pockmarked, and only finger-thick felt proved to be stable.
Using a process already known in the cloth industry, Carl Wilke came up with the idea of decatizing, i. H. treating them with dry steam under pressure in a steam drum.
Hats made from this felt became quite durable and shiny like those made from rabbit hair.
This process, which was groundbreaking for the German wool hat industry, remained the factory's carefully guarded secret for a long time.
Now sales grew enormously, more and more journeymen and workers could be hired, so that around 1860 there were already 100 people employed in the workshop.
The artisanal business had grown into a factory that could hardly fit into the small house.
If the business was to develop further, new space had to be created and commercial management added to the craft.
Master Wilke alone, the old professional craftsman and last foreman of the hat makers' guild in Guben, was not the man to exploit his inventions, which were so important and fundamental for the German hat industry, and to expand the growing business into a modern factory company.
He was too silent for that and had had to live in small and limited circumstances for too long.
Realizing this correctly, in 1859 he handed over the management of the business to his second eldest son, who later became Privy Councilor of Commerce Friedrich Wilke, who in the meantime had also given his masterpiece to the Guben milliners' guild.
For this he devoted himself entirely to his hobby of experimenting and testing, and he succeeded in finding further improvements in the manufacture of the woolen hat.
He died of old age in 1875, having been awarded the Order of the Crown by his king two years earlier.
In 1861 Friedrich Wilke took his two brothers Wilhelm and Theodor into the business.
However, since the elder Wilhelm left the factory as early as 1870 due to a serious illness, as did Theodor six years later, the expansion of the company into a global company is mainly his work; he was actively supported by his two sons Max and Fritz.
In recognition of his services to the state and city, Friedrich Wilke, who had been appointed to the Council of Commerce in 1879 and Privy Councilor of Commerce in 1886, was awarded the Kaiser Wilhelm Order in 1899 and was made an honorary citizen of his native town of Guben shortly before his death. Following the example of his father, active in the business until the last day. An accident in 1908 put an end to his richly blessed life.
Today, his son Max Fritz Wilke, who died in 1901, and his grandson Siegfried Friedrich, the great-grandson of the founder, own the company.
But let's go back to the year 1800.
Friedrich Wilke had taken over the management and, from that moment on, had no other goal than to raise the reputation of the factory.
Since the small house on Königstraße was really being used to the last corner and with the best will in the world it was no longer possible to enlarge it, the property, which is still inhabited today, was purchased and a factory, which was great for the time, was built on it, which could be occupied in 1864.
In addition, an exemplary commercial organization was created.
The Wilkesche wool hats were soon a well-known brand whose sales grew steadily.
However, the company's successes did not fall easily into its lap.
The competition at home as well as in France and England had meanwhile also learned the manufacture of felt hats.
The carefully guarded factory secrets were discovered and made public through factory espionage.
New factories were built in Guben and elsewhere.
And with the well-known preference of the Germans for everything foreign, every effort had to be made to remain the winner in this competition through quality and cheapness.
Only the head start that C.G. Wilke had gained secured it a leading position in the industry, and as early as 1874 the working space in the new factory had to be doubled.
At the same time, English and American machines were set up that were designed to replace manual work with cheaper and more precise machine work.
The mass production of woolen hats, which had gradually developed in Germany, found a welcome outlet in overseas exports, which in the 1970s and early 1980s attained considerable volume and for many years accounted for about a third of total production.
But under the protection of high tariffs, factories were set up in the overseas sales areas, exports faltered, and since the German market could not start production, hard times came for the German hat factories at the end of the 1980s.
Eventually things settled down again, and when women's felt hats became fashionable, this branch of manufacture, which always brings brisk business in the summer months, was also taken up.
Likewise, the production of hair hats, which had been neglected by the inventions in the field of woolen hats, came to the fore again and became the main article already in the last years before the world war and especially during the war itself, after the raw material for it was in contrast to the wool had remained free of confiscation.
Exports also picked up again, so that permanent representations and connections could be maintained in almost all European and many overseas countries, all of which have now been resumed after the war.
At this point it should also be mentioned that the company, originating from a time when there was no wholesale trade, has always kept working directly with the shop and today has a four-digit number of permanent customers in Germany alone, many of whom have been in constant contact with her for 50 and even 75 years.
There is hardly a city of any importance in Germany in which at least one shop does not have C.G. Wilkesche hats.
Despite the fact that the number of workers and employees today is around 1000, healthy and, as far as one can still speak of it today, almost patriarchal conditions prevail inside the factory.
The principle followed before the war of keeping the workers even in times of bad employment meant that about a fifth of the workforce has already passed their 25th anniversary and almost half can already look back on ten years of service.
This, combined with a practical settlement policy pursued long before the war by granting small mortgages and interest-free loans for the purchase of one's own property, has made it possible for the company to have a workforce at its disposal who, even in the times of the revolution, had confidence in it has not lost.
The company also has its own canteen, bathing facilities, library, health insurance company and an invalid welfare fund.
It is a difficult time as the C.G. Wilke company enters the second century of its existence.
May the vigorous spirit of enterprise, the level-headed prudence, the tireless diligence and the knowledge of the world of their owners always keep them at their current level, to their honor and to the glory of the entire German hat industry.

Martin, Super!

This was a major breakthrough.

"Using a process already known in the cloth industry, Carl Wilke came up with the idea of decatizing, i. H. treating them with dry steam under pressure in a steam drum.
Hats made from this felt became quite durable and shiny like those made from rabbit hair.
This process, which was groundbreaking for the German wool hat industry, remained the factory's carefully guarded secret for a long time."

Looking forward to more.

 

[mayserwegener]

Rockel Velour, labeled 59cm but fits 58cm, possibly 1930s. The Dark Metal Gray Velour is in very good condition. The glossy color coordinated Liner is striking. Rockel Alsfeld didn't get started until the mid 1920 but found a nitch producing affordable quality Fur Felt Hats.

Open Crown

 

[Wangenheim]

Very elegant colour! A real beauty.

 

[mayserwegener]

Very elegant colour! A real beauty.

Thank you! I am looking forward to wearing it.

 

[steur]

Rockel Velour, labeled 59cm but fits 58cm, possibly 1930s. The Dark Metal Gray Velour is in very good condition. The glossy color coordinated Liner is striking. Rockel Alsfeld didn't get started until the mid 1920 but found a nitch producing affordable quality Fur Felt Hats.

Open Crown

Fantastic find, Steve. Love the colour and it looks to be in excellent shape as well.

 

[mayserwegener]

Fantastic find, Steve. Love the colour and it looks to be in excellent shape as well.

Stefan, Thank you! Yes, the Velour is clean and no color loss.