#hatsinthelibrary

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Today is the #SummerSolstice, so it’s time to start wearing your best #SummerFashion! For inspiration we’re looking at this circa 1867 hand-colored lithograph, which features looks for both indoor and outdoor events. Time to dust off those summer top hats!

#FashionFriday #HatsintheLibrary

Louis Haugg. Philadelphia Paris & New York fashions for spring & summer of 1867. Philadelphia: F. Mahan. c1867.           

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The Wonderful Hats of the 1940s 

Women’s hats have been a fashion statement for hundreds of years. In the 1940s, women’s hats, like other apparel, were subject to wartime shortages. But according to Hats in VOGUE Since 1910, hat styles continued to evolve, as hats “became women’s banner of individuality, of continued attention to appearance, morale-boosters.”

In the early 1940s, hats were small and sometimes had veils to keep women’s hairstyles in place. By the last two years of World War II, fabric and trim stocks were low or depleted. Hairstyles were longer too, as permanent waves were a luxury in wartime. Hat styles adapted to whatever was available: felt, fabric scraps, woven and knitted fabric. Berets and turbans gained popularity.

By 1946, hats were larger to celebrate the end of the war. Hairstyles were swept back and kept up, and hats were tilted at 45 degrees. Feathers were popular as trim. Straw, in short supply during the war, reappeared in brimmed hats.

Photographs of women in hats from the Minneapolis Newspaper Photographs Collection. Much of the collection dates from the 1940s and is an excellent source of fashion trends from that time.

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Leave it to the Morris Family to give us lifestyle envy! Marriott C. Morris captured this image of a dreamy outdoor meal on July 7, 1888. We’re still trying to pick our favorite hat of the group, which one is your favorite? #MorrisMonday #HatsintheLibrary

Morris, Marriott Canby, 1863-1948, photographer. Party at dinner in woods at Highlands, [NJ] [graphic]. July 7, 1888.  1 photograph: glass negative; 4 x 5 in.

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This circa 1882 #TradeCard for Wm. F. Simes & Son proves there are never too many #HatsintheLibrary, soggy or otherwise.

[Wm. F. Simes & Son trade cards] [graphic]. [Philadelphia?] [ca. 1882] 

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Check out those top hats and long coats! Marriott C. Morris captured this image of his siblings, family members, and Jet the dog in April 1885. 

The house shown in this image was rented by President George Washington during the 1793-1794 yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia, and was owned by the Morris Family from 1804 to 1948. The house is now known as the Germantown White House, and is owned by the National Park Service.

Morris, Marriott Canby, 1863-1948, photographer. Group. Ellie & Anna Rhoads, Bessie & Sam [Porch of Deshler-Morris House, 5442 Germantown Avenue] [graphic]. April 17, 1885. 1 photograph: glass negative; 4 x 5 in.

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Here’s a dapper feline ready for a fancy NYE party! #FelineFriday

Abram’s Arnica Liniment. I.L. Lyons & Co. William H. Helfand Trade Card Collection. P.2828.12

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Hello, how do you like my high hat? 

This sixteenth plate daguerreotype shows a man with an intriguing expression and a very admirable head adornment. 

[Portrait of an unidentified man in a top hat.] [ca. 1850.] 

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We don’t know what we love more about this circa 1880 lithographed trade card: the peppermint sticks, or that bonnet? #TreatsintheLibrary #HatsintheLibrary

A sweet tooth. [graphic]. [Philadelphia] [ca. 1880] 1 print : lithograph tinted with three stones ; 11 x 7 cm. (4.25 x 2.75 in.)