Crofut & Knapp Tales

[Belegnole]

This thread is very enjoyable...thank you all.

 

[Philip K Nelson]

More about my Grandfather, Philip Knapp

While it is apparent that James H Knapp was the force behind the C&K story, it is equally true that his son Phil and John Cavanagh were the ones who brought this business to the top. They were both contemporaries and friends; they had both learned the business from James; but they were the businessmen who knew how to develope and market their products.

I knew John Cavanagh, but only as Grandpa's friend and partner. I lived with Grandpa from 1936 until her died in 1945. I am going to share with you some photos and an address he gave at the Ford Museum in Dearborn. One of the pictures is Phil with Pete and I, his two grandsons. Another shows him in a photo shop at Atlantic City. His family picture, with my mom on the left and the last really good shot of him in 1936. I hope you enjoy them. I cannot tell you how much it means to me to find this group of people who care about hats, hatting and its history. Many thanks.
Phil Nelson

Address by Philip N Knapp at his presentation of Old Time Hatter's tools to the Ford Museum, Dearborn, Michigan (date?)

The Crofut & Knapp Company, hat manufacturers of East Norwalk, was founded in 1858 by James H. Knapp, one of the pioneers of the industry in America. For at least ten years prior to his connection with Andrew J. Crofut, "Boss Knapp", as he was familiarly known, had been in business for himself, therefore the house of Crofut & Knapp really dates from 1848. In those early days of hat-making the shop was located beside a brook; the hat bodies were washed in the clear water to remove the logwood chips that furnished the coloring matter. Boss Knapp learned his trade when he was a "jour" hatter, so called because of the migratory habits of the clan; making a hat from start to finish. He formed the body from a double-handful of fur, shrunk it to size in hot water, colored, blocked and finished it by hand with the help of primitive tools, mostly hand-fashioned from wood.
It is a far cry from that little C&K factory on North Main Street, South Norwalk, to the splendid group of buildings on the line of the New Haven Railroad. There the raw skins are received directly from Australia, Germany, Scotland, South America and various other parts of the globe. The fur is prepared and transformed into smart hats that are shipped to every state in the Union and to Mexico, South America, South Africa, Japan and many other foreign countries. The factories also produce all types of headwear including straw hats, caps, opera hats and silk hats.
The executives of the Crofut & Knapp Co. are John Cavanagh, President; Philip N. Knapp, Chairman of the Board; Robert A. Holmes, First Vice-President; Thomas Johnstone, Second Vice-President; Irving R.Wilmot, Third Vice-President and Secretary and Frank H. James, Treasurer.
The set of "Old Time Hatter tools", which I am pleased to present to the museum at Dearborn, were used in the manufacture of fur felt hats before the invention of modern hat making machinery. They have been in my possession for forty years and were probably used in the early part of the last (eighteenth) century. The "jour" hatter, was required to form and shrink the hat body; color, shape and finish it to the stage where it was ready for trimming -quite different from present day practices where every hatter is a specialist in some department.
In those days, as now, hats were made from the fur of the rabbit, hare, beaver and muskrat. In forming a hat body, the hatter used a tool called a "Bow" because of its resemblance to a giant fiddle bow. Where horsehair is strung on a fiddle bow; there is catgut strung on the hatter's bow. The bow, suspended from the ceiling by a cord attached to its middle, is adjusted so that it just cleared the table at which the workman stood. The fur, spread on the table in a thin layer, was agitated by vibrations in the bowstring set up by twanging the catgut with a wooden peg. By expert manipulat1on the workman was able to form a cone-shaped bag, loosely held together by the entangling of the fibers, about 36 inches high and 32 inches wide at the bottom, terminating in a rounded point at the top. Such was the old-time method, far removed from the ingenious machines which by skillfully controlled currents of air accomplish the same work today, no better, perhaps, but more accurately and with far greater speed.
When the body was thus formed, the felting process was started by an operation called "hardening" in which the "basket" was used. The object of this step was to knit the fur fibers closer so that the body could be handled without injury to the filmy fur cone. The jour then took the body to a kettle or tub of boiling hot water and by folding and rolling the body was shrunk to the proper size for shaping. It was then dyed, usually black, in a solution in which logwood chips were the principal component.
In the past days of hat making, the shop was located near a brook to which the hat bodies could be trundled in a wheelbarrow and washed in the running water. After the hats were dyed, the hatter again wheeled them to the brook and by means of long-handled tongs, washed then clean. Hats were shaped on wooden blocks with the use of steam and a hot iron. The surface was smoothed with sandpaper and "leured" with grease on a hot pad.

 

[Mr. 'H']

Fantastic. We can tell you're enjoying this too!

 

[Brad Bowers]

Those are some wonderful family photographs, Phil, but I must say that my favorite is the one in the studio where he's wearing his Derby. Great composition, showing off all sides of the hat.

I can't get over how small your brother Pete's Derby is. The circumference of the outer brim is smaller than the openings in my hats! Neat treasure and family heirloom.

If the baby Derby was made 20 years prior to when that photo was taken, was is something that was passed down to your brother from a previous generation, or just a baby Derby your grandfather had on hand?

Thanks for sharing your memories.

Brad

 

[Philip K Nelson]

The Baby Derby

Brad, I always assumed it was something he had made as soon as he found out he had a grandson. That would have been like him;he was always having hats made for Pete and me- the one I remember best was a German student hat (drinking hat?) with a red and yellow band and a soft black top. When I found out the derby was made years before, I was stumped. Your post card is perfect, it shows the from view of the factory on VanZandt street. The other picture you posted is of the rear of the factory, as seen from the New Haven Railway tracks.
Phil

 

[Brad Bowers]

Your post card is perfect, it shows the from view of the factory on VanZandt street. The other picture you posted is of the rear of the factory, as seen from the New Haven Railway tracks.
Phil

Wow, don't I feel blind. I never noticed the steam locomotive racing by at the bottom of the painting. When you mentioned the New Haven, then the train jumped out at me! How could I have missed it all this time?

I just received the post card. I love the fact that someone pointed out that's where Dobbs hats were made, and bought a Panama at the factory. A neat personal touch.

Brad

 

[Cigarband]

Just wondering about the proper pronunciation of the names.
Would it be Crowfoot, crowfut, crawfoot, or crawfut? And did your Grandfather say Knapp the German way kanapp, or the American way nap? Thanks again for all the memories.:eusa_clap

 

[Philip K Nelson]

Name pronunciations

Sorry to be so long in replying to your question but I was traveling the past two weeks in South America (the Brazilians and Argentinians are big on berets, for military, gaucho and the "relaxed" look). Crofut, as in the C&K, was pronounced "Crow-foot", with the accent on the first syllable. Knapp is pronouced as "Nap".
Philip Knapp Nelson

 

[barrowjh]

Very American

that would have been my guess on the pronunciation; no tonge-twisting, just spit it out.

 

[Dreispitz]

How about some more C&K hat samples and their history?

 

[cookie]

Crofut & Knapp Astrakhan Persian Lamb Fur Large Black Hat

Even the most exotic from C&K.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280412650423&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

 

[Brad Bowers]

Sadly, this is my only C&K, but at least it's a Derby! Made between 1896 and 1909. I've been trying to get more, but they keep staying just out my reach.lol

Brad

 

[cookie]

Sadly, this is my only C&K, but at least it's a Derby! Made between 1896 and 1909. I've been trying to get more, but they keep staying just out my reach.lol

Brad

Das ist knapp unglaublich Brad!

 

[Mario]

Das ist knapp unglaublich Brad!

lol lol lol :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[Dreispitz]

A fine sample, indeed, Brad!

Do you know anything more about the sweatband arrangement with the lateral bow, as opposesed to the (later?) more common center back ones? Did it serve a particular porpose?

I have a Lock one with the same type of sweatband-style. The knot os positioned diferently, however. Mine is 50ies or later.

 

[Brad Bowers]

Do you know anything more about the sweatband arrangement with the lateral bow, as opposesed to the (later?) more common center back ones? Did it serve a particular porpose?
[/QUOTE]


I have no idea why they did it that way.[huh] I've seen one or two other examples like that, and they were as old as this hat, or older, and also Derbies. If it served a particular function, I haven't figured it out. It makes the hat look unbalanced, compared to what we are used to!

Also, if you look closely, you'll see the reed comes together under the sweatband at close to the 11 o'clock position, near the upper right corner of the photo. Strange.

Brad

 

[Dreispitz]

I have no idea why they did it that way.[huh] I've seen one or two other examples like that, and they were as old as this hat, or older, and also Derbies. If it served a particular function, I haven't figured it out. It makes the hat look unbalanced, compared to what we are used to!

Also, if you look closely, you'll see the reed comes together under the sweatband at close to the 11 o'clock position, near the upper right corner of the photo. Strange.

Brad

The reason for the (metal?) reed coming together not right where the sweatband does, might have been done to prevent the the thread scratching the wearer´s head.

Sweatband style:

Is your Derby on the firm side ore more a lightweight town one? My Lock one is really firm and qualyfies for a hunting hat for mounted fun sports of the period. Maybe, it was easier to make the hat fit tighter this way. Well that is only a guess.

 

[SGT Rocket]

welcome

Welcome to the Lounge!!!!!

 

[Brad Bowers]

The reason for the (metal?) reed coming together not right where the sweatband does, might have been done to prevent the the thread scratching the wearer´s head.

Sweatband style:

Is your Derby on the firm side ore more a lightweight town one? My Lock one is really firm and qualyfies for a hunting hat for mounted fun sports of the period. Maybe, it was easier to make the hat fit tighter this way. Well that is only a guess.

Yes, the reed is metal wire, as opposed to the monofilament used in later years, up to the present day. Good suggestion.

It's a lightweight. The top of the crown is so thin but so stiffened that it reminds me of a drum head.

Brad

 

[J.J. Gittes]

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I highly doubt J.F.K. had a bowler but I'd say you can trick some friends with those initials.