Hat
1830-1840 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The top hat first appeared at the very end of the eighteenth-century and, through modification of the style, remained the dominant form of headwear for the next hundred years.
The United Kingdom's increased industrial output in the middle years of the nineteenth century meant that popular fashions which were previously out-of-reach for the majority of the population were now more accessible to men lower down the social ladder. The resemblance of the straight, high-crowned headgear to factory chimneys did not go unnoticed, nor did the fact that many wealthy industrialists wore them, and so the top hat became a symbol of affluence and urbane respectability.
Most top hats were initially made from beaver felt, and so this example from the 1830s is fairly typical of its time. Beaver was superseded in the 1850s by silk plush as the material of choice for hatters. The choice of colouring may seem surprising when one imagines the somewhat staid blacks and greys of the stereotypical Victorian gentleman, though expression through flamboyant fashion was far more common in the first half of the century than it was after the death of Prince Albert.
The United Kingdom's increased industrial output in the middle years of the nineteenth century meant that popular fashions which were previously out-of-reach for the majority of the population were now more accessible to men lower down the social ladder. The resemblance of the straight, high-crowned headgear to factory chimneys did not go unnoticed, nor did the fact that many wealthy industrialists wore them, and so the top hat became a symbol of affluence and urbane respectability.
Most top hats were initially made from beaver felt, and so this example from the 1830s is fairly typical of its time. Beaver was superseded in the 1850s by silk plush as the material of choice for hatters. The choice of colouring may seem surprising when one imagines the somewhat staid blacks and greys of the stereotypical Victorian gentleman, though expression through flamboyant fashion was far more common in the first half of the century than it was after the death of Prince Albert.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Beaver wool trimmed with grosgrain ribbon |
| Brief description | Top hat for a man, white beaver with grosgrain ribbon trim, made in London, 1830-1840 |
| Physical description | White beaver man's top hat with grosgrain ribbon trim, labelled 'made in London'. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Credit line | Given by Mrs Doreen Erroll |
| Object history | The donor of this hat, Doreen Erroll, a theatrical costumier, is mentioned in the Birmingham Post, Friday July 7, 1939, in the 'London Letter for Women'. Under the title 'Minnie's Wedding Bonnet' the correspondent describes a visit to the exhibition 'Old Soho' of period costumes from Doreen Erroll's collection. This includes a 'pathetic item [..] a charming little white straw bonnet ... picked up by Miss Erroll on the stones of the Caledonian Market, still in the box of the firm who made it in 1840. On the box, in faded handwriting, was the announcement: "This is Minnie's wedding bonnet." With it was the white beaver hat of Minnie's bridegroom. But this has since been given to the Victoria and Albert Museum by Miss Erroll.' With thanks to Beatrice Behlen for passing on this reference. |
| Summary | The top hat first appeared at the very end of the eighteenth-century and, through modification of the style, remained the dominant form of headwear for the next hundred years. The United Kingdom's increased industrial output in the middle years of the nineteenth century meant that popular fashions which were previously out-of-reach for the majority of the population were now more accessible to men lower down the social ladder. The resemblance of the straight, high-crowned headgear to factory chimneys did not go unnoticed, nor did the fact that many wealthy industrialists wore them, and so the top hat became a symbol of affluence and urbane respectability. Most top hats were initially made from beaver felt, and so this example from the 1830s is fairly typical of its time. Beaver was superseded in the 1850s by silk plush as the material of choice for hatters. The choice of colouring may seem surprising when one imagines the somewhat staid blacks and greys of the stereotypical Victorian gentleman, though expression through flamboyant fashion was far more common in the first half of the century than it was after the death of Prince Albert. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.126-1933 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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