1886
cabinet card photograph of men in beaver hats
A beaver hat is a
hat made from
feltedbeaver fur. They were fashionable across much of
Europe during the period 1550–1850 because the soft yet resilient material could be easily combed to make a variety of hat shapes (including the familiar
top hat).[1] Smaller hats made of beaver were sometimes called beaverkins,[2] as in
Thomas Carlyle's description of his wife as a child.[3]
Used winter coats worn by
Native Americans were a prized commodity for
hat making because their wear helped prepare the skins, separating out the coarser hairs from the pelts.[4]
To make felt, the underhairs were shaved from the beaver pelt and mixed with a vibrating hatter's bow. The matted fabric was pummeled and boiled repeatedly, resulting in a shrunken and thickened felt. Filled over a hat-form block, the felt was pressed and steamed into shape. The hat maker then brushed the outside surface to a sheen.[5]
Evidence of felted beaver hats in western Europe can be found in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, written in the late 14th century: "A Merchant was there with a forked beard / In motley, and high on his horse he sat, / Upon his head a Flandrish [Flemish] beaver hat."[6] Demand for beaver fur led to the near-extinction of the
Eurasian beaver and the
North American beaver in succession. It seems likely that only a sudden change in style saved the beaver.[7]
Beaver hats were made in various styles as a matter of civil status:
the Wellington (1820–40)
the Paris beau (1815)
Black beaver hat with high, straight-sided, flat-topped, oval-shaped crown; flat narrow brim up-turned slightly at sides; narrow (1/2" wide) black cross-grain ribbon encircles base of crown, tied in small bow at side; tan felt-lined sides; crown top lined with red and black checked paper; royal blue shield-shaped paper, label marked "PARIS" glued to center of paper lining; approx. 4 1/2" width of sides extending from top lined with red and black plaid paper; edges of brim and crown frayed and worn, 3" long tear in paper lining sides; - Worn by Benedict Macy (1819-1910)the D'Orsay (1820)
the Regent (1825)
the clerical (18th century).
In addition, beaver hats were made in various styles as a matter of military status:
^Carlyle, Thomas (2012) [1881]. Froude, James Anthony (ed.). Reminscences. Cambridge University Press.
ISBN9781108044790. ...dainty little cap, perhaps little beaverkin (with flap turned up)...
^Hämäläinen, Pekka, 1967- (2019-10-22). Lakota America : a new history of indigenous power. New Haven.
ISBN978-0-300-21595-3.
OCLC1089959340.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link)
1886
cabinet card photograph of men in beaver hats
A beaver hat is a
hat made from
feltedbeaver fur. They were fashionable across much of
Europe during the period 1550–1850 because the soft yet resilient material could be easily combed to make a variety of hat shapes (including the familiar
top hat).[1] Smaller hats made of beaver were sometimes called beaverkins,[2] as in
Thomas Carlyle's description of his wife as a child.[3]
Used winter coats worn by
Native Americans were a prized commodity for
hat making because their wear helped prepare the skins, separating out the coarser hairs from the pelts.[4]
To make felt, the underhairs were shaved from the beaver pelt and mixed with a vibrating hatter's bow. The matted fabric was pummeled and boiled repeatedly, resulting in a shrunken and thickened felt. Filled over a hat-form block, the felt was pressed and steamed into shape. The hat maker then brushed the outside surface to a sheen.[5]
Evidence of felted beaver hats in western Europe can be found in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, written in the late 14th century: "A Merchant was there with a forked beard / In motley, and high on his horse he sat, / Upon his head a Flandrish [Flemish] beaver hat."[6] Demand for beaver fur led to the near-extinction of the
Eurasian beaver and the
North American beaver in succession. It seems likely that only a sudden change in style saved the beaver.[7]
Beaver hats were made in various styles as a matter of civil status:
the Wellington (1820–40)
the Paris beau (1815)
Black beaver hat with high, straight-sided, flat-topped, oval-shaped crown; flat narrow brim up-turned slightly at sides; narrow (1/2" wide) black cross-grain ribbon encircles base of crown, tied in small bow at side; tan felt-lined sides; crown top lined with red and black checked paper; royal blue shield-shaped paper, label marked "PARIS" glued to center of paper lining; approx. 4 1/2" width of sides extending from top lined with red and black plaid paper; edges of brim and crown frayed and worn, 3" long tear in paper lining sides; - Worn by Benedict Macy (1819-1910)the D'Orsay (1820)
the Regent (1825)
the clerical (18th century).
In addition, beaver hats were made in various styles as a matter of military status:
^Carlyle, Thomas (2012) [1881]. Froude, James Anthony (ed.). Reminscences. Cambridge University Press.
ISBN9781108044790. ...dainty little cap, perhaps little beaverkin (with flap turned up)...
^Hämäläinen, Pekka, 1967- (2019-10-22). Lakota America : a new history of indigenous power. New Haven.
ISBN978-0-300-21595-3.
OCLC1089959340.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link)
.jpg)
A silk reproduction felt hat, Lower Fort Garry NHS.
Shapes and styles of beaver hat 1776–1825
19th century Masonic Knights Templar Beaver Fur hat
English military engineer John By (1779-1836)
Edward Arthur Walton – The Beaver Hat
Media related to
Beaver hats at Wikimedia Commons