Top Hats of the 1860's?

[LibertyHallVols]

Folks,

Curious what features one would expect to see in a gentleman's top-hat of the 1860's and how that might differ from those of the 1840's or (more importantly) 1850's.

Another way to rephrase the same question would be to ask about the top-hat a "dapper dude" would be wearing in the early 1860's -versus- a feller that might not be up on the latest fashions*.

*whether due to class, rural -v- urban, etc.

For full-disclosure in my attempts to "walk the talk" as a mod:
I searched on "top hat", "top", "top+hat" to no avail. Got a couple hits on "tophat".

Thanks!

[Matt Woodburn]

Re: Top Hats of the 1860's?

John,

There's not alot of information on Bender's site, but he does show two styles with different bands and shapes, one of which is earlier and one which is 1860s. Hope this helps.

[PetePaolillo]

Re: Top Hats of the 1860's?

Curious what features one would expect to see in a gentleman's top-hat of the 1860's and how that might differ from those of the 1840's or (more importantly) 1850's.

I am in no way an authority on hats. I have read something intersting though recently. Please forgive me as I dont have the source. It said tophats prior to and up to 1850 or so were primarily made from Beaver Pelts. Silk became popular after this time as Beaver neared extinction in Europe. The beaver became extinct in Great Britain in the sixteenth century. Trapping here in North America in the 19th century also severely limited the population in some areas. So there were many tophats made from Silk and other materials after this time. My guess would be that Beaver would be more valuable and not as readily available for the more common man. Just a hunch though. Hopefully this info will at least lead you in the right direction. :)

[ohpkirk]

Re: Top Hats of the 1860's?

John,
I would suggest searching the collections of the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's always helped me when I'm looking for little details to improve earlier era civilian clothing I'm working on, large clear photos, etc.

http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_art/the_costume_institute

Here's a search on them: http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_ar...1=0&dd2=0&vw=1

Good luck,

[dixieflyer]

Re: Top Hats of the 1860's?

Great link Cody, thanks for posting it. Did a search on sack coats, . . no joy, but I did get a hit on a nice 1840's black wool frock coat.

[NYCivilWar]

Re: Top Hats of the 1860's?

These are my own personal observations on 1850s top hats... either from photos or ones that I own

-ribbon/band on outside is quite narrow, around a 1/4"
-the sweat-band on the inside is generally about 2" or more
-the lining is made from thin paper and not fabric
-black is the predominate color, but if you look at 1840s and 1850s fashion plates, you will see cream/white, black, and brown top hats. I have only come across black and cream/white in person though. (I have not seen many period photos of men in these white/cream top hats. I have run across a few in museum collections and the date of these lighter colored top hats usually is in the range of 1830-1850, so it is my guess that they fell from fashion, but again, only my guess)

Again, these are only my personal observations

[Ian McWherter]

Re: Top Hats of the 1860's?

The only dramatic differences (style wise) that I've noticed when examining original 1860s top hats compared to originals from the 1840s-1850s is that the crown is often slightly lower, between 6.5"-7" in height, as opposed to 7"-8.5" for the 1840s-1850s, and the brim is also slightly narrower, between 2"-2.5" compared to 2.5"-3.5" for the 1840s-1850s. Construction and materials aren't really that different. Silk Plush is the most common material used on top hats of the 1840s-1900s. Even the originals that Kyle pointed out made from cream/white, brown, fawn, etc. would have been more commonly made from silk plush. The silk wasn't more expensive than genuine beaver, quite the opposite. Now days though, silk plush or hatter's plush is nearly impossible to get, it hasn't been manufactured since the 1980s. Small vintage pieces of the material surface every now and then, but they can cost quite a bit. Most of us are stuck with fur felt replicas made by various vendors.

Edited to add: It should be noted also that brim curling on top hats of the 1840s-1860s, in general, is very minimal to none. Wild brim curling is found on post 1860s examples or sometimes 1820s-1830s originals.

[viceroy]

Re: Top Hats of the 1860's?

http://www.dirtybillyshats.com/c18.jpg

Ian, I have the above hat. In reference to your previous post on brim curling, Would you recommend that this brim be flattened?
Thanks.

[ScottCross]

Re: Top Hats of the 1860's?

I'm going to resurrect this topic, because I am now doing a civilian impression and am looking for a good 1860s top hat. Since Tim Bender at TP&H Enterprises has retired, all I am finding are wool felt top hats with curled brims of a later period.

I am attaching some examples of top hats from the 1860s, which pretty much confirms other replies.





- - - Updated - - -

Cody,
Are you making them by any chance?

John,
I would suggest searching the collections of the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's always helped me when I'm looking for little details to improve earlier era civilian clothing I'm working on, large clear photos, etc.

http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_art/the_costume_institute

Here's a search on them: http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_ar...1=0&dd2=0&vw=1

Good luck,

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Top Hats of the 1860's?

Scott,
The hat in the first image that you show reminds me of a "round hat" from the first quarter of the 19th Century. I've seen some examples of those from Beaver with a shaggy appearance like that.

Do you have any background on that photo?

[ScottCross]

Re: Top Hats of the 1860's?

Scott,
The hat in the first image that you show reminds me of a "round hat" from the first quarter of the 19th Century. I've seen some examples of those from Beaver with a shaggy appearance like that.

Do you have any background on that photo?

I was thinking the same thing about that hat. It looks similar to the "Round Hat" Cody Mobley made for me a few years ago.
Yes, interesting story on this gentleman. The image was taken just before he formed a company in 1863.

http://oshkosh.pastperfectonline.com/photo/D6227128-3FEF-4D22-A60F-151815581900

[Elaine Kessinger]

Re: Top Hats of the 1860's?

Mr Franks makes a wool felt, but with a flattened brim: https://cockedhats.com/products/abe-lincoln-hat
If someone were to take the trouble to explain to Mr. Franks that our favorite reproductionist has retired and offer to help him tweak his current models to our specifications, he would probably step in to fill the void. He does have a few pelt covered in earlier styles.