Deerstalkers were originally worn for sports such as hunting deer and shooting in the nineteenth century. By the early twentieth century they were worn for general country wear as well as informal dress. Sometimes they had ear-flaps which could be tied together on top of the hat when they were not needed. This example folds in half so that the wearer could easily store it in a pocket.

This deerstalker has an interesting provenance. It formed part of a dress handling collection at Islington Education Library. The collection had been donated to the Service over many years and includes men's coats, fancy dress and 1940s utility fashions. Some of the objects are lent out to schools. The present librarians donated this hat as they felt that rather than being suitable for a handling collection it should be cared for by a museum.