Pre 1940s (non-Stetson) Westerns

[Thundercolt]

Wild West Show performers

 

[MikeinRome]

1920's or earlier L K & Co. hat, "The Grizzly Hat". Has 3. 3/4 inch bound brim and 5 inch open crown. Brim has a strip of felt for a binding on the top side only. Has a 1 inch ribbon with the bow having the intentionally frayed back edge. This hat would loosely be called a Boss of the Plains or Austral style hat here on the Lounge, I'd say. It's said this hat was from the estate of an Eastern U.S. man who died in his 90's, who had gone out West "around the turn of the Century" i.e. 1900 and brought this hat back East. The hat's seller is in New Hampshire.

 

[Thundercolt]

Original hats from 1856 - Arabia Steamboat museum

 

[MikeinRome]

Original hats from 1856 - Arabia Steamboat museum
View attachment 601570

It's incredible that these hats were preserved from the steamboat Arabia.

 

[Thundercolt]

It's incredible that these hats were preserved from the steamboat Arabia.

Yes, it is amazing.
It was enlightening to see the actual hats that were worn on the western frontier (now the Midwest) before the Civil War.

 

[MikeinRome]

Here's another oldie that's arriving tomorrow and needs serious help. Unknown maker, 4 inch brim, about 6 inch open crown. Looks to date to 1930's or earlier.

 

[MikeinRome]

Here's another oldie that's arriving tomorrow and needs serious help. Unknown maker, 4 inch brim, about 6 inch open crown. Looks to date to 1930's or earlier.

This hat finally arrived. Has 4 inch bound brim and 6 1/2 inch open crown. There are no mfg tags and nothing written or stamped on the sweatband, which has the old VVVV type stitching. I'll be sending it off for cleaning and a new sweatband.

 

[MikeinRome]

1920's or earlier L K & Co. hat, "The Grizzly Hat". Has 3. 3/4 inch bound brim and 5 inch open crown. Brim has a strip of felt for a binding on the top side only. Has a 1 inch ribbon with the bow having the intentionally frayed back edge. This hat would loosely be called a Boss of the Plains or Austral style hat here on the Lounge, I'd say. It's said this hat was from the estate of an Eastern U.S. man who died in his 90's, who had gone out West "around the turn of the Century" i.e. 1900 and brought this hat back East. The hat's seller is in New Hampshire.

The Grizzly Hat after cleaning.

 

[MikeinRome]

This hat finally arrived. Has 4 inch bound brim and 6 1/2 inch open crown. There are no mfg tags and nothing written or stamped on the sweatband, which has the old VVVV type stitching. I'll be sending it off for cleaning and a new sweatband.

The same Unknown Maker hat after cleaning.

 

[MikeinRome]

1930's Miller Fine Hats, Denver Colo. Has 3 1/2 inch brim and 5 1/2 inch open crown. The seller said this was his father's hat when he was a boy, and he graduated highschool about 1940 and served in WWII. So I'm estimating this is a 1930's hat. I posted a couple of pics of it a year or so ago while discussing Miller hats but didn't go into details about this hat at that time. There's no tags in hat. It seems to be about a size 6 3/4 or so, I estimate.

 

[MikeinRome]

I'm guessing this is a pre-1940's hat, but not sure. Seems to be wool, but not sure. Brim is 3 3/4 inches to the curl, 4 inches overall. Has 7 inch open crown. It was suggested to me that this might be a Sears hat.