Note the crease in this campaign hat

[deanglen]

There have been some threads about unique hat creases, or "bashes" and I thought this style of crease is my favorite, I have it on my three hats. Some may not like it, I see it as closely realted to the "cattlemen's" crease.

These images show a good variety of this style crease, and indeed they all look pretty "cowboy" but the brims are probably no more than 2 3/4 inch to 3 inch , not far from Open Road dimensions. Some have pinched the crown extremely tight, which I like, and other left gaps ranging from an inch to three. Side views are pretty good, as well as 3/4 views in these images.

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Anyway, I have hats ranging from 1 1/2 inch to 3 inch brims and 6 to 7 inch crowns and they look okay. I hope to get some shots of my own hats to show how they look from other angles, plus I have tons of photos of this style on my other computer at work. Opinions?

 

[Joel Tunnah]

Those are great pictures. Thanks for posting!
I think the majority of them are "the cattleman".

Joel

 

[DOUGLAS]

Thanks a million Deanglen those shots are terrific. In the second photo the hat in the foreground looks like it has a curl on the brim. I like it. I would love to see some of yours

 

[epic610]

it looks like...

the way you "bash" you hat was the one area of individuality in army uniforms at that time.

 

[deanglen]

The variety of bashes was indeed surprising and quite non-"uniform", here's another shot, I have better ones I can post tomorrow. I really think they look very fedora-like as opposed to the smokey style campign hats we're used to, though you can see the ancestor of that style in this photo, known as a montana peak, of course (both men behind the man facing us at the far right at bottom, facing away from the camera) All shots are circa 1898-1900. Can't say I like the montana peak, but it's apparently a superior rain run-off feature.

 

[Matt Deckard]

I think of it as the cattleman crease. Center with two side dents.

Great pics. Old school campaign hats.

 

[ideaguy]

once again, caught unaware. here I am looking for the variety of interesting
hats and the clever handling of them by soldiers. In an horrific situation, whether or not they're at the front or some backwater reserve camp-they are
in the business of trying to kill others if necessary, on orders from someone with a bigger, fancier hat. Unfathomable that we find these photographs at flea
markets, antiques shops, trade shows...objects of curiosity, studied for the
accoutrements of war, and often forgetting which war all those guys were in,
unknowingly posing for our passing interest, simply another example of what
they wore when they went to war...

 

[mthatter]

erased by mt

 

[deanglen]

John, do you have a name for the style of bow those campaign hats had?It's very distinctive to to that period, a flattened sharp edged bow that some of the western hats you offer at your site have, except the ends of the bow ribbon extended onto the brim about 1 1/2 to 2 inches cut at a bevel. My avatar is photo of an original 1883 campaign hat and has that style of bow. In studying these hats I noticed that the bows on the black campaign hats were different, and I've alweays wondered about the point where that bow style changed and why it seems to be specific to those campaign hats. I think it would look good even on a fedora.

 

[DOUGLAS]

Deanglen, I really like that type of bow treatment. I saw that type on Dirty Billys' site and had that bow put on a couple of fedoras.

 

[scotrace]

This one

I think this would be pretty versatile.

 

[Joel Tunnah]

Dirty Billy makes the 1898 hat. Anyone seen his work, or bought a hat?

 

[Lieutenant]

Dirty Billy makes the 1898 hat. Anyone seen his work, or bought a hat?

Joel, I have bought several of Dirty Billy's Hat/caps. One Beehive, a Sugarloaf, and a Union Forage Cap. All are well made. I also have a Trapper/Hunter hat (Rev. War) from Clearwater Hats which is very well made and at a good cost. Don't have the 1898 but I'd sure like to get a vintage one.

 

[deanglen]

Here is my first attempt to reproduce an 1898 campaign hat. It's a Dobbs Ranger Twenty that I got pretty cheap. I trimmed the brim to 2 3/4 size, handstitched three rows on the brim edge, and steamed the crease into it. I even tried to punch a snowflake vent into the felt, which was less than satisfactory to me. I also added a 7/8 inch wide grosgrain ribbon, which should have been a 5/8 ribbon, and formed the bow. The hat cord is a period correct one. Hope to get other shots of it posted. I have since changed the ribbon to 5/8 and have redone the bow.

 

[deanglen]

I love this photo as an example of the campaign look and the overall feel of the image...great study in the sideview of the hats!

 

[Wolfmanjack]

Deanglen, The bash in your avatar is very close to that worn by Gable in The Misfits.

The very narrow center crease is very different from the wide crease of the cattleman bash,

which produces a square, blocky profile from the front. Your avatar hat, like Gables, presents a triangular, pointed profile when viewed head-on.

Thank you for posting these pics, Deanglen. Campaign hats have always interested me. I have several of the WWI style campaign hats,

that my 12-year-old wolf research assistants (my Wolf Rangers) wear when working in the field with me. Like any uniform, it encourages esprit de corps.

 

[DanielJones]

I love this photo as an example of the campaign look and the overall feel of the image...great study in the sideview of the hats!

Now there is a good range of bash styles, and a nifty collection of Krag rifles too.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[deanglen]

a few more shots, just because I have them

 

[Big Man]

Those are some great pictures from the Spanish American and/or Philippine Insurrection period. Do you have any specifics on who/when/where for any of them? While on this topic/time, here are a couple that may also be of interest. The first is my great uncle, a Spanish American War Volunteer from NC who died of typhoid fever in Savannah, GA in 1898 prior to his departure for Cuba. The second is my grandfather who was in the Philippine Insurrection. This picture was taken about 1901 or 1902. I’m not sure of the location.

 

[DOUGLAS]

Man those are great shots. I can't wait till I find one. I have always liked that style of hat. Deanglen, do you know what materials those hats were made of?
That is a good photo of the Krag however I would prefer a 91 Argentine Artillery Mauser.