Want to buy or sell something? Check the classifieds
  • The Fedora Lounge is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Hat Styles, 1901

Warbaby

One Too Many
Messages
1,549
Location
The Wilds of Vancouver Island
A bit early for the golden era, but it's interesting to see the roots of some of our hat styles. These are scans from a 1901 Eaton's (Toronto) catalog.

Eaton1901a.jpg


Eaton1901b.jpg


Eaton1901c.jpg


Eaton1901d.jpg


Eaton1901e.jpg


Eaton1901f.jpg
 

HatsEnough

Banned
Messages
1,142
Location
Cincinnati, Ohio
I was in Vancouver two years ago and thought it was a beautiful town. One thing that was bad about it were the homeless people. They were everywhere! It was so bad that the whole town, everywhere you went (especially the parks) smelled like urine. Too bad.

As to the hats pics posted, it really helps peg the "fedora" as we generally think of it to the 1920s and later. Not a one of the hats above "seem" like a fedora. So, we can see that the wide brimmed fedora was a departure from the average man's hat from the 1910s and previous.

Thanks for posting the images.
 
Messages
17,489
Location
Maryland
Thanks for posting! I noticed they are pushing the quality of English felt over American (third photo, page 45). Overall very pro English but that makes sense based on the location. Also consistent with other ads from this time period regarding the Fedora style which would be considered a Homburg today (in 1901 there was little difference).
 
Last edited:
Messages
17,489
Location
Maryland
As to the hats pics posted, it really helps peg the "fedora" as we generally think of it to the 1920s and later. Not a one of the hats above "seem" like a fedora. So, we can see that the wide brimmed fedora was a departure from the average man's hat from the 1910s and previous.

Thanks for posting the images.

The soft felt Fedora (or Alpine) of this time period had a German brim curl + binding, good bit of taper with center crease (known as the Fedora / Alpine crease). The original Fedora style was closer to what is considered a Homburg today. Edward VII brought the style to England from Bad Homburg Germany and it became popular throught out the world.
 
Last edited:

HatsEnough

Banned
Messages
1,142
Location
Cincinnati, Ohio
The original Fedora style was closer to what is considered a Homburg today. Edward VII brought the style to England from Bad Homburg Germany and it became popular throught out the world.

Agreed. That is why I put "seem" in quotes. Today, most people have the general idea of a "fedora" being a soft hat with a diamond crease and between a 2-1/2 inch and 2-7/8 inch brim. Yes, there are other styles, but most people envision that as a fedora and not the sort of hats we see in the 1901 ad above.
 
Messages
17,489
Location
Maryland
Yes it changed over time but was consistent into the 1930s. There is a thread Robert (RLK) put together a while back with a bunch of great info. Here is circa 1900 Homburg from the Novy Jicin (Czech Republic) museum hat collection.

5622251454_926142cbfd_z.jpg
 

HatsEnough

Banned
Messages
1,142
Location
Cincinnati, Ohio
What kind of goofball would select Hat #29?

Actually, that crease is very much like what the soldiers in the Span Am War often did to their campaign hats. Late Civil War Federal soldiers also did that often with their military Hardee hats. So, I'd have to say that the style shown there would conform a sort of western/military-like hat.

Check out the guy standing second from left:
spanish_american_war.jpg
 

Forum statistics

Threads
109,150
Messages
3,075,153
Members
54,124
Latest member
usedxPielt
Top