winter headwear

[bevinmacrae]

Is there any fashionable yet warm winter headwear for men? I know there were balaclavas for working and stuff in, but what if you wanted to "be seen" and still stay warm around the head and ears? I am catching glimpses of furry "Russian" looking caps, but nothing very closeup for a good look.
Bevin

[John Peterson]

Yes, there are a lot of fur caps that show up in period images but cloth caps as well. I am swamped with other work at the moment and can't find any good digital images quickly but try to track down some better images of these:

Richard Caton Woodville's "Waiting for the Stage"

(All of Woodville's genre paintings are a wealth of information but this is my favorite - you could spend a long time studying it minutely. Best bet if you can't get to the real thing would be a full size poster repro.) From looking at the painting I would say this is leather on the outside with fur lining visible on the ear flaps and visor.

Look through Currier and Ives winter pictures - especially their sleighing lithographs. "The Sleigh Race" and "Trotting Cracks on the Snow" both show someone wearing a cool fur hat that has the animal's face on the front and ears flying back in the wind. I can't find any good close shots where those are clearly visible at the moment but I have them in books and old Travellers Insurance calendars.

Good stuff with William Sidney Mount:

not a winter setting but 2 warm looking hats that are not fur on background figures:


another warm looking hat by Mount - possibly fur:


I have 3 original caps I will try to get around to photographing - 1 fur sealskin with a leather visor, 2 wool cloth peaked caps with visors, one with ear flaps.

[Kevin Bender]

Greetings Bevin,

Last winter I made a cap off of the Gentleman's Winter Cap pattern offered by Miller's Millinery (http://www.bonnets.com/gntlmn.html).  The pattern notes reference an original in Mrs. Miller's collection and also cites such caps in Currier & Ives lithographs (in particluar, "The Road, Winter" done in 1853).  It sure came in handy at the Harper's Ferry December 2008 event.  I did mine in all wool but would like to, at some point, do another with the ear flap done in fur.

Take Care,
Kevin Bender 

 

[John Peterson]

I pulled out my three caps - they are not blocked or anything so they look pretty rough - all are brittle and fragile.

This one I found just last summer in the attic of an abandoned house along with other 19th century trash including a pair of peg-soled boots and a battered silk top hat. The body is black wool that looked as if it had a pretty fuzzy pile on the outside at one time:


There is a grosgrain bow stitched to the front. The brim is cloth with some sort of stiffener inside.

There are no markings on the inside. The lining is black cotton that looks as if it was once glazed or polished.


This one I got REALLY cheap on Ebay (less than the price of shipping, back in the days before they insisted on PayPal.) The seller was calling it a fireman's uniform cap but I see no reason other than the general shape to call it that. The welt around the top is stiff like rattan or willow or cane.

There is a skirt that is folded up all around the band that looks as if it should fold down but it is stitched up to a grosgrain bow that does not untie  in the front (very similar to the one on the first cap).


Leather sweat band. Silver printed label (GR? & DUTCHER FINE HATS, BINGHAMTON) [English made? NY?]. Very stiff liner in cloth covered brim.


My favorite - I picked it up at an antique shop in Providence, RI in the early 1980s. (I actually used to wear it around - what was I thinking?) Sealskin fur, leather brim.


It has a great silver printed label inside:


I will admit that I cannot nail a date to any of these. They all have extensive machine sewing on them. It is the correspondence of their overall pattern and shape to ones in period images that makes me think they are suitable models for caps from the midnineteenth century although I would not doubt that any or all three could actually date from the later nineteenth century.

On side note - if anyone is looking for a modern-made but cool old timey-looking cap check out Stormy Kromer:
http://stormykromer.com/

[Ross L. Lamoreaux]

The cloth caps are caps that I routinely come across in images attributed to the 1860's through 80's, particularly amongst laborers. I've often thought them very under represented amongst living historians due to the frequency I find them in images.  Everyone wants to wear the traditional "wheel hats", which are of course fine for many impressions, but I think there is just a lack of vendors and patterns for the other styles.   When doing research for my 1890's site, I've seen dozens that are quite similiar on printers, blacksmiths, and other trades as well.  The fur caps with sides that pull down were very popular in the 1830's and 40's, but have seen use throughout the century on hunters and outdoorsmen; I've seen them referred to as "mucknutters" and I'm working on a few for an 1830's militia impression.  Thanks for providing the excellent images.

[Carolann Schmitt]

Two cdv's from my collection:

Fur cap
http://usera.ImageCave.com/thesewingacademy/CarolannSchmitt/230.jpg

Cloth cap
http://usera.ImageCave.com/thesewingacademy/CarolannSchmitt/235-web.jpg

From the Library of Congress - Government Trim Shop, Washington DC, April 1865:

Pile fabric - velvet or uncut corduroy
http://usera.ImageCave.com/thesewingacademy/CarolannSchmitt/Govt Trimming shop-5.jpg

Shearling - Remember this is April in Washington!
http://usera.ImageCave.com/thesewingacademy/CarolannSchmitt/Govt Trimming shop-6.jpg

Cloth
http://usera.ImageCave.com/thesewingacademy/CarolannSchmitt/Govt Trimming shop-7.jpg

Regards,
Carolann

[Stephanie Brennan]

On the Winsconsin Historical clothing site, they have a boy's cap with pull down ear flaps, and in Children's clothing there was an article about winter children's caps with ear flaps. Do these work for adults to? These are just the ear peice not a flap that goes half way round the hat band.       Stephanie

[bevinmacrae]

Gentlemen and Carolann, thank you!!!! This is just what I was looking for! I had NO IDEA that caps with the ear flaps went back this far. Since my husband already loves to wear his "mechanic's" cap, he should have no problem with the same design with some warm ear flaps on it. I LOVE the sealskin cap, and the pictures are most welcome. Thank you. I know how much time goes into taking them and uploading them on here and I really appreciate it!

Thank you also for the link to an existing pattern (why didn't I think to look there? Duh.) This implies that it might be something I can make. Now to shop around for some fur, or dredge up the wool stash!!!

Many thanks for a speedy and through answer! yay!
Bevin

[John Peterson]

I LOVE the sealskin cap

Me too ... Unfortunately I don't have a ready source of sealskin to make one to wear (although I do have a spotted seal hide in reserve that I picked up at a flea market - plans to make sporrans from it ...)  Not long ago in a thrift shop I picked up a brown fur cap that I would guess (from the label inside as well as the general condition of the cap) to be from the 1950s-70s. Otter would make a really nice cap (or sporran!  ) if you can get a hold of an otter hide.



According to the label it is "dyed beaver side" ("side", not "hide") and it feels and looks a lot like the sealskin (just a little less lustrous and less curly.) It is nicer looking than the ubiquitous Chinese-made rabbit fur caps that seem to be everywhere the past few years.  I grabbed it right away with plans to use the fur to re-hab it into a period-style cap. Wearing it, it looks period but the lining really should be replaced and there are 2 snaps behind the turned up front flap. If I can carefully remove the snaps and fill or fluff around the holes from the snaps I would prefer to put a leather visor on it, otherwise I will just put it back together with a turned up front.

Also, SOMEWHERE in my boxes of project materials ... I have a couple of not-so-old muffs of similar fur that I bought figuring they could be used for something - or maybe just kept as muffs. I just wish I had the incentive of a decent winter event. Meanwhile I wear the modern fur cap around town for the time being.

[bevinmacrae]

I hear there is a very decent winter time event around christmas in Harper's Ferry. Wish I could go.... Then there's always period sledding with your friends!

I showed hubby the pictures. He's very excited about having some new warm gear. I think his ears bout froze off the last time! Since the completion of my own wardrobe, he's gotten quite a few new things to flesh out his while I wait for clients to make decisions.
Bevin