Hats
Hats
The clothes and accessories worn by the Downton Abbey ladies were an enduring part of the show’s appeal. Beautifully made, they reflected the fashions and mores of two rapidly changing decades. Who can forget her father telling Sybil that her new dress made her look like a lampshade. Unlike today, hats were very much part of everyday wear. They were not just for shading the sun from one’s face but also signified status and wealth.
The word "hat" comes from the Old English hætt meaning "head covering" and I’m sure they were originally invented for sheer practicality as shelter from the weather, both hot and cold. It was also a defence tool against danger such as falling stones. A representation of a human with a covered head dates to about 15,000 years ago as evidenced by graffiti found in a cave in France. However, the hat soon became an object to be decorated and enriched, showing off one's power.
In ancient Egypt, the oldest known depiction of a hat, a woven conical cap, appears in a tomb painting dating back to 3200 BC, designed as protection from the desert sun. It soon became something more. The funerary mask of Pharaoh Tutankhamun is an excellent example of what the headdress represented for the ancient Egyptians. The Pharaoh wears the nemes, a cloth bonnet topped with the royal insignia of the cobra and the vulture, indicating the wearer's divine nature. The crowns of the Egyptian pharaohs were headdresses symbolising honour and sacredness, as the pharaohs were the sons of the Sun God Ra and represented him on Earth.
In the Roman Republic, the pileus (felt cap) was given to emancipated slaves as a public display of their newfound freedom. This hat later inspired the Phrygian cap, which became a symbol of liberty during the French Revolution. Before that, towards the end of 1600, Louis XIV, the Sun King, who loved ostentation more than most, had a 35-carat diamond mounted on his headdress. Louis XIV also expanded the use of the tricorn, a cocked hat, previously used only by soldiers and sailors, so much so that in 1700 many possessed this type, including women.
In the 18th century, the painter Thomas Gainsborough popularised the picture hat, a large ornamental hat with a low crown and exceptionally wide brim which balanced on top of the incredibly elaborate hairstyles of the time. His portrait of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire wearing such a hat sparked such a massive craze that it widely became known as the Gainsborough Chapeau.
Fashion duly moved on and by the 19th century in the UK, every Jane Austen heroine at some point was wearing a bonnet that framed her face – or horror of horrors she took it off – and by 1900, hardly anyone left the house without a hat.
The cloche hat is the shape most often seen in Downton. It was invented in Paris in 1908 in the atelier of a famous milliner, Caroline Reboux. The cloche (from the French word 'bell' due
to its shape) soon became an iconic object, especially among noblewomen and celebrities. They became particularly popular during the 1920s and '30s with the introduction of the 'Eton Crop' hairstyle, a very short and smooth cut. The cloche was immensely popular among flappers (so much so that it is often also referred to as flappers' hat), a new generation of young girls who aimed to free themselves from the constraints imposed by society.
As a true Englishman, Sir Winston Churchill loved the bowler hat. However, he especially popularised another type of hat, the 'Homburg', a semi-rigid felt hat with a central hollow and wide brim with a raised hem.
The hat that really sums up the later 20th century and 21st century is the baseball cap. Invented for the Brooklyn Excelsiors in the 1860’s to shield their eyes from the sun, it was originally part of the traditional uniform worn by players. Since then, it has become ubiquitous the world over, to advertise sports teams, companies, brands, resorts and hotels. In fact, you name it and it probably has a baseball cap. We even have one ourselves!
22 Comments
Good afternoon Lady Carnarvon,
I well written and illustrated story for us today. Your pieces are always well thought out and written that it is a treat to read. Thank you for the brief lesson on hats. I tend to wear them only as defense against the sun to help maintain my ghostly white complexion.
Big hats are classic, elegant, and another accessory vs jewelry. It is a cherry on top of an outfit. They are head turners at events. You feel totally different and carry yourself with more grace. It is the epitome of Etiquette 101 that has sadly been forgotten.
I love hats and often wear a colourful “bucket” style hat or a baseball cap to keep the sun off my face as I’ve recently become a rosacea sufferer. The huge elegant ladies’ hats of the Edwardian era look so stylish in the photos of those days. I read they became fashionable following the popularity of the operetta The Merry Widow at the time. Downton Abbey showcased some beautiful hats, complementing all the wonderful outfits the actors were lucky enough to wear. Our wedding reception was held in The Jolly Hatters Hotel, as the area of Manchester where I lived was known for making men’s top hats and later bowler hats. When these were popular there were several hat manufacturers around the district. They provided employment for many townspeople. Originally the hats were made in individual garrets, only a few of which have survived. I have a photo of London in the 1930’s where almost every person shown is wearing a hat or cap, a bygone era I suppose.
Lady Carnarvon,
I loved the pictures of the wide-brimmed hats decorated with large flowers, usually roses, and greenery. My mother usually bought herself new ones for Easter Sunday, and then wore them on into summer Sundays.
She also found a straw cloche with daisies and small flowers to wear on Easter with a new dress, gloves and socks and shoes! How pretty we both felt. Thank you for some lovely memories!
Martha G
As a milliner, it was lovely to read all about the history of hats! I loved all the hats
in “Downton Abbey “
I am visiting on Monday with our visitors from Germany who are very excited to see inside Highclere for the first time.
I so enjoyed the hat lesson - so interesting. I have a collection of hats that I can plop on when it is easier to wear a hat that to make my hair presentable! They add a dash to any outfit!
In my experience, thirty years ago, a British gentleman would not be caught dead in a baseball cap. I think, perhaps, it was considered too American. Now it seems they are everywhere.
I love hats, I wish they were still in style.
Interesting to read ,thank you
Lady Carnarvon, what amazing insight. We wear items that have outstanding history attached it. I do love the variety and styles of hats. The cloche is my favorite!
This was one of my favorite blogs!
Thank you for the history of hats…
‘ my hat is off to you’ for your prose and variety
of subjects.
Debby
Georgia, USA
I recall in the 1980's that hats became quite popular for women again - mostly because we all wanted to be Princess Diana. It was a fun part of the fun 80's.
Dear Lady Carnarvon,I so enjoyed your latest letter.So extremely intestesting ! I am my neighborhood's ,"Hat Lady",every neighborhood should have a,"Hat Lady".Thank you so very much for the positive look on hat wearing.Especially bringing in the Downton Abbey Ladies.My very best wishes to you ! sincerely ,Emma
beautiful. you have such an elegance in your writing. thank you for taking the time with writing these wonderful posts.
I love hats!
Myself and family visited Highclere Castle yesterday, it was a fantastic day. We had a great time.
A very interesting lesson on hats, thank you.
As I read this wonderful post, I remember my Mothers Huge Pink Hat with cabbage roses on it. Thank you so much for invoking these memories.
Several years ago, my husband and I attended a Titanic exhibit, in Edwardian costume. We of course felt quite comfortable wearing the Edwardian styles, including hats. One woman thought we were part of the exhibit. Then complimented me on my hat. "Where did you get that beautiful hat?" she asked. I turned toward her, with no pause, and said, "Why, Paris, of course."
Great article Lady Canarvon. We are Old Order Mennonite. We wear head coverings made of a white see through stiff mesh like material and stings or ribbion
And when out we wear a bonnet over top. My husband says we look like we are from the 1700's. I don't even think about it until someone points it out. Here in Lancaster County PA it is very normal with the Mennonite and Amish. When I visited England twice (and your castle) I was commented I had a nice costume on! I do wish I could wear something fancier but I can't convince the church of that. We are suppose to be "plain"!
I agree! But we can always go against fashion and wear beautiful hats
I enjoyed this very much. I love to wear hats, except for the problem of having "hat hair" when I take the hat off
I buy hats whenever I travel, and have a display of them by my front door.
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Lovely picture of hats and did you and lord Carnarvon have a lovely weekend and lam fan of Downton abbey and highcelere castle
Yo también y los sombreros son preciosos