Straw hats now available from Carter & Jasper

[Utley]

Carter & Jasper now offers men's straw hats in the following styles. These hats are made of the finest wheat straw and are sewn together with straw colored cotton thread. Unlike most other reproductions available, they are not held together with monofilament line. These hats are all specially made and are not generic Amish or other types of straw hats that have been converted. The hats are finished with a pigskin sweatband and a silk grossgrain crown ribbon in either brown, tan, blue, or black. Finishing work on the hats was done by Mr. Tim Bender. The straw will darken with age and wear. The hats can also be easilly shellaced and shaped into brim shapes, etc. Please see below for pictures of available styles and sizes. Custom work is available, and currently in the works is a "bell crown" style straw hat. If you don't see your size or wants, let me know and it can be done. The hats will also be added to my new website, www.carterandjasper.com.

SIZES / STYLES INSTOCK

4 inch crown with 4 inch brim - (can be shellaced and shaped by wearer to look like curved style)

Tan ribbon size 7 1/2
Black ribbon size 7 1/4
Brown ribbon size 7 1/4
Blue ribbon size 7 3/8

4 inch crown with 3 inch brim -

Special shellaced version (curved brim) with blue ribbon size 7 3/8
Brown ribbon size 7 1/2
Brown ribbon size 7 1/4
Tan ribbon size 6 7/8
Black ribbon size 7

5 inch crown with 5 inch brim (farmer style hat) -

Brown ribbon size 7 3/8 (2)
Black ribbon size 7 5/8
Black ribbon size 7 3/8
Black ribbon size 7 3/4

Hats are $49.00 each plus shipping.

[Wounded_Zouave]

Re: Straw hats now available from Carter & Jasper

In your opinion which type of straw hat (4x4 or 5x5) most closely approximates those worn by the 16th New York Vol. Inf. during the Penninsula Campaign in 1862 as seen in the photograph taken at the Savage's Station field hospital below? Note: This photo is the only know image of the straw hats the 16th NY wore. The regiment threw them away after the Seven Days because they feared the hats made them easy targets for sharpshooters and no actual examples survive.

[Justin Runyon]

Re: Straw hats now available from Carter & Jasper

WIthout trying to do any scaling, it looks like you might want to go with the wider brim size on that.

[HighPrvt]

Re: Straw hats now available from Carter & Jasper

The closest hat, and the one farthest right look to have a shorter brim than the others!

[Utley]

Re: Straw hats now available from Carter & Jasper

It appears that at least 4 of the gentlemen in the picture are wearing the same type straw hat. It appears to be very similar to my 5 inch brim model, only the one in the picture has a flat top instead of a rounded top. It also appears that the crown ribbon is knotted in some way on the side instead of being sewn. This would be very easy to do, but would of course require a custom make hat. Let me know if you would like some of these. The price wouldn't be any more than the models I now have.

[NY Pvt]

Re: Straw hats now available from Carter & Jasper

Cyrus,
Not so fast. Here is a group photo of the 16th NY with their straw hats.

Enjoy,

Link: http://www.civilwarphoto.com/Photogr.../52NY16th.html

[No_Know_Nothings]

Re: Straw hats now available from Carter & Jasper

From what I've read, the ribbon had "16th NYSVI" either painted or embroidered on the front. In clearer images of the Savage's Station photo you can just make out some type of lettering on the ribbon of the reclining and sitting soldiers on the right.

[Wounded_Zouave]

Re: Straw hats now available from Carter & Jasper

Cyrus,
Not so fast. Here is a group photo of the 16th NY with their straw hats. Enjoy,
Link: http://www.civilwarphoto.com/Photogr.../52NY16th.html

Wow! Great CDV! Never saw that one before. Never say never. :)

[Dignann]

Re: Straw hats now available from Carter & Jasper

A bit of explanation on the 16th NY's straw hats. The colonel's wife sent the regiment enough straw hats to outfit each man with one. At Gaines' Mill, the regiment suffered heavy casualties - 40% by one account. Private Cyrus Stone, of that regiment, later remembered that most of the casualties were struck in the head or upper torso, leading him to believe

"the most of the enemy firing was too high, they must have aimed at our hats..."
-- Quoted in Stephen Sears To the Gates of Richmond (New York: Ticknor & Fields, 1992) p.237

The men in the Savage's Station photo are some of the 16th's casualties from Gaines' Mill.

Eric