Famous Hat Wearers of the Past!

["Skeet" McD]

The top hat that President Coolidge is wearing in this picture looks curious: Only the very top of the hat appears to have the characteristic sheen of silk plush, whilst the rest looks almost as though its all covered in grosgrain.

While I don't know the ins-and-outs of Coolidge's family life....I feel fairly certain that he was in one of the later stages of mourning when this picture was taken...the wide, matte band was a recognized badge of mourning; you will see it in many of the famous pictures of President Lincoln, when he was in mourning for his son...although, again, most folks don't recognize the import anymore.

Perhaps not uninteresting sidebar on the same topic: I cannot TELL you how many times I was asked when in the full one-year primary mourning period for my mother, God rest her soul!, whether I was going out somewhere that night? People mistook my all-black and white attire for....evening dress....

"Skeet"

 

[Chinaski]

What kind of hat is Einstein wearing in the picture showing him walking with Kurt Godel, briar in mouth? Hard to tell from the picture...

 

[Delthayre]

Silence of doubt

I had in fact considered that it might be a mourning band, but was unsure I had only read about them without ever looking for a picture of one and did not realize that mourning bands could be so wide as that or what they were made of.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

[QUOTE="Skeet" McD]While I don't know the ins-and-outs of Coolidge's family life....I feel fairly certain that he was in one of the later stages of mourning when this picture was taken...[/QUOTE]

His son, Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was 16 years old playing tennis at the White House in 1924. He developed a small blister on his heel. It was soon infected and he died of blood poisoning. The story is that his son's sudden unexpected death took the wind out of his sails and was one of the factors in his deciding not to run for re-election and return to a quiet life out of the limelight in New England. He was known as "Silent Cal" but he withdrew more into himself after his son's death.

 

[Tiller]

His son, Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was 16 years old playing tennis at the White House in 1924. He developed a small blister on his heel. It was soon infected and he died of blood poisoning. The story is that his son's sudden unexpected death took the wind out of his sails and was one of the factors in his deciding not to run for re-election and return to a quiet life out of the limelight in New England. He was known as "Silent Cal" but he withdrew more into himself after his son's death.

Yes, Cal's Silent act was more or less just that an act at first. He thought the people wanted a quite President who wasn't interested in grand schemes like Woodrow Wilson was. In fact he was known as a good public speaker, and writer for his time, its the reason he came up as a dark horse candidate for VP, that and how he handled the police strike in Boston. He actually made radio addresses regularly, and is one of the first President's (if not the first) to be recorded on film. But when his boy died it took a lot out of him emotionally. And his persona became closer to his real personality as time went by.

And of course their is the Rat Pack .

 

[Tiller]

Once I find my scanner and the book again, I've got one of Mac in a hat other than The Cap, forgive me my n00b-level ignorance but I can't tell if we're talkin' homburg or fedora. (But I'm trying to learn, even though my primary interest is WWII... and I don't think that stingy-brim worked for JFK at all.)

Hey thanks for that man, I tried finding one of him in a hat, but to no avail.

 

[Charlie Huang]

I agree that it looks like the photo was taken through glass but I believe the hat is of this type nonetheless:

http://www.silktophats.eu/5456-mourning-band

OMG, I never knew this site existed!

Thanks for the link!

 

[Charlie Huang]

Winston Churchill:

Top hat

Homburg

Cambridge bowler

Standard bowler

Fedora

Peaked cap

Doctoral tam/bonnet (looks more like a Tudor bonnet to me; probably before they moved away from the British design but I think he is wearing British (Canadian?) academicals whilst being hooded so it most likely a British Tudor bonnet...)

 

[scotrace]

He actually made radio addresses regularly, and is one of the first President's (if not the first) to be recorded on film.

Grover Cleveland was first, but just barely, as it was at McKinley's inaugural. Unless you mean the first to be seen in a talking picture?

 

[J. M. Stovall]

Coolidge Trap Shooting. The inspiration for Tom Mix lol .

I really like that jacket too! A fitted button up with notched collar.

 

[Bob Smalser]

I really like that jacket too! A fitted button up with notched collar.

And a Winchester Model 12 30" nickle steel trap gun with a ventilated rib, which weren't common then.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Coolidge the Newsboy.

Newsboy, my eye. Coolidge the Marxist / Leninist agitator!

With a Cowboy Hat.

No wonder he usually avoided smiling. Yikes!

Only the very top of the hat appears to have the characteristic sheen of silk plush, whilst the rest looks almost as though its all covered in grosgrain.

Not grosgrain: black wool felt. At that time, men avoided wearing shiny black fabrics when in mourning. It was perceived as too decorative.



.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Hey thanks for that man, I tried finding one of MacArthur in a hat, but to no avail.

Pick up a copy of William Manchester's biography of Gen. MacArthur. It has a 1920s photo inside of Mac wearing a straw boater and a "civvie" summer suit.

.

 

[The Lark]

Just for fun, I put "Jesus" and "hat" into google. Surprise! I found one.

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

OMG, I never knew this site existed!

Thanks for the link!

lol HA! Thought you might like that. You came to mind specifically when I visited that site.

 

["Skeet" McD]

Just for fun, I put "Jesus" and "hat" into google. Surprise! I found one.

And I'm betting it's Christ on the road to Emmaus...dressed as a pilgrim? Or, perhaps, as the "Gardener" at the tomb?

"Skeet"

 

[Lefty]

Stalin

John Wilkes-Booth

Napoleon

Thomas Edison

Papa Smurf

and everyone else, famous or not, prior to 1940

 

[Tiller]

Grover Cleveland was first, but just barely, as it was at McKinley's inaugural. Unless you mean the first to be seen in a talking picture?

Yes, not the first to be filmed, but the first to give an actually speech on film. Sorry about that lol.

 

[Charlie Huang]

lol HA! Thought you might like that. You came to mind specifically when I visited that site.

He also has the mourning hat in my hat size as well... dare I say I will ever use it! Actually, I can easily just make a wide riband myself!

But the toppers he offers are very reasonably priced (especially the small size ones) indeed and he seem very knowledgeble. I might just do business with him in the future.

 

[Charlie Huang]

Lord Nelson:

His livery in itself is a thing to behold!