• Home
  • LOLITAS
  • READING LISTS
  • STEAMPUNKAPALOOZA
  • WRITING STEAMPUNK

STEAMED!

Writing Steampunk Fiction

Feeds:
Posts
Comments
« Book Monday– Dru Pagliassotti’s “Clockwork Heart”
Simply Willow »

A Brief History of the Top Hat

May 25, 2010 by Theresa Meyers

Austin Lane Crothers, 46th Governor of Maryland sporting his top hat

Leave it to a hatter to cause a social stir, which explains a lot to me about why this piece of clothing so epitomizes the spirit of steampunk.

In January 1797, the man, named Hetherington, caused an upheaval in the streets of London by wearing his tall stove-pipe top hat as he ambled down the street. He drew a crowd and was eventually stopped by the police (by the collar no less) and was given a court summons for disturbing the public peace.

The officer present at the scene described the offence as follows: “Hetherington had such a tall and shiny construction on his head that it must have terrified nervous people. The sight of this construction was so overstated that various women fainted, children began to cry and dogs started to bark. One child broke his arm among all the jostling.”

Hetherington’s top hat literally made front page news. The London Times wrote “Hetherington’s hat points to a significant advance in the transformation of dress. Sooner or later, everyone will accept this headwear. We believe that both the court and the police made a mistake here.”

And was the reporter in the Times ever right. While Hetherington wasn’t the first to create the top hat (that honor goes to George Dunner a hatter from Middlesex in 1793), it certainly wouldn’t be the last. Eventually the top hat would come to be equated not only with the industrial revolution itself as ordinary captains of industry became the millionaires, but also the upper echelons of society.

At first they were used by the military. From 1803 to 1812 the Jaegers in the Imperial Russian Army used them as part of their uniform (but then dropped them in favor of Litwka Shako along with the other units of foot soldiers). (Cheeky nod here to the Jaegerkin of the steampunk comic Girl Genius…)

By 1830 even the working class man had a top hat usually made of felted rabbit fur. Those of the upper classes were crafted from felted beaver fur, beginning a huge upswing in the beaver fur trapping trade in North America. Those made as part of the uniform of policemen and postmen were created from black oilcloth to be suitable for outdoor wear in rain.

Beaver fur eventually gave way to silk for the upper classes. The black top silk hat was crafted from cheesecloth, linen, flannel and shellac. A skilled milliner, using various types of flat-irons, “baked” the shellac into the linen around a five-piece wooden hat block and covered with black silk plush, which came mostly from France. So expensive was the silk, that only the master tradesman (foreman) was permitted to cut it.

The hat was finished with a 2½ to 3 cm wide cloth hatband, which was later replaced by one of ribbed silk. For decades (nearly a whole century) the top hat was to go through several permutations. During this early Victorian time – i.e. approximately 1830 – top hats were extremely tall, some even reaching nearly eight inches high. The period of 1840-1850 saw the glory years of the top hat where it reached it’s tallest height. Prince Albert took the top hat from being a mere fashion statement to a symbol of urban respectability by donning the top hat in 1850.

Later in the Victorian era, from 1837 to 1901, the height was reduced to between six and six and a half inches. Around 1890, the top hat also received a larger crown, so appearing more tailored or ‘nipped in’. From around 1920, top hats were around five inches tall. That still applies today.

The spring loaded Gibus, or opera hat top hat that could be pressed flat by hand for easy storage, then popped back into shape, was invented by a Frenchman name Antoine Gibus in 1812 and patented in 1837.

The gray top hat has been used for wedding ceremonies since 1960 and actually comes from the Ascot horse races. It is around five inches in height and is made from wool felt. Today felt top hats are still made.

Custom top hats for steampunk fans vary from leather to felt, silk to vinyl and come in such an array of shapes, sizes, textures and styles that it’s as unique as the individual wearing it.

Fortunately for us, the top hat isn’t dead. It’s just found a new form of popularity among fans in a new generation.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Tumblr
  • Email
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Posted in costumes, fashion, Steampunk, Uncategorized, Victorian fashion, Victorian Life | Tagged Steampunk, steampunk costume, steampunk fashion, Theresa Meyers, Top Hats | 5 Comments

5 Responses

  1. on May 25, 2010 at 12:44 pm Isabel Roman

    I love and adore that hat. And I even like the color. ’nuff said.


  2. on May 25, 2010 at 1:13 pm Theresa Meyers

    If you like the steampunk hat shown, go check out Gypsy Lady Hats on etsy. She has some absolutely amazing ones. I’m going to find a way to get a Jezebel hat…just sayin’.


  3. on May 25, 2010 at 1:36 pm Candace

    Thanks for the history! I didn’t know all that actually. I’ve checked out a few top hats on etsy, very cool!


  4. on May 28, 2010 at 4:49 pm soda

    the empire top hat is pretty cool


  5. on September 6, 2010 at 12:07 pm Doug

    Neither Hetherington nor Dunnage (not Dunner) created the Top Hat. What is ture is Dunnage was the first to patent a hat design using Silk Shag ( what we how call a silk top hat) in England.



Comments are closed.

  • Welcome to Steamed!

    We hope you enjoy Steamed. We're no longer adding new content, but we have lots of great stuff. so please enjoy!

  • Pages

    • LOLITAS
    • READING LISTS
      • Reviews
      • Steam Classics
    • STEAMPUNKAPALOOZA
      • Steampunkapalooza 2010
      • Steampunkapalooza 2011
      • Steampunkapalooza 2012
    • WRITING STEAMPUNK
  • Recent Posts

    • Lit-Con at Write Space
    • Tea Time
    • Gail Carriger – Book Signing for Prudence
    • Quest for the Lost City of Z
    • The Great Airship Scare of 1896 – 1897
  • Archives

    • March 2015
    • February 2015
    • January 2015
    • December 2014
    • November 2014
    • October 2014
    • September 2014
    • August 2014
    • July 2014
    • June 2014
    • May 2014
    • April 2014
    • March 2014
    • February 2014
    • January 2014
    • December 2013
    • November 2013
    • October 2013
    • September 2013
    • August 2013
    • July 2013
    • June 2013
    • May 2013
    • April 2013
    • March 2013
    • February 2013
    • January 2013
    • December 2012
    • November 2012
    • October 2012
    • September 2012
    • August 2012
    • July 2012
    • June 2012
    • May 2012
    • April 2012
    • March 2012
    • February 2012
    • January 2012
    • December 2011
    • November 2011
    • October 2011
    • September 2011
    • August 2011
    • July 2011
    • June 2011
    • May 2011
    • April 2011
    • March 2011
    • February 2011
    • January 2011
    • December 2010
    • November 2010
    • October 2010
    • September 2010
    • August 2010
    • July 2010
    • June 2010
    • May 2010
    • April 2010
    • March 2010
    • February 2010
    • January 2010
    • December 2009
    • November 2009
    • October 2009
    • September 2009
    • August 2009
    • July 2009
    • June 2009
    • May 2009
    • April 2009
  • Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 1,795 other subscribers
    • RSS - Posts
    • RSS - Comments

WPThemes.


  • Follow Following
    • STEAMED!
    • Join 757 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • STEAMED!
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Copy shortlink
    • Report this content
    • View post in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: