Panama Hat Thread

[LuvMyMan]

OMG! If you stare at the picture for awhile, things begin to happen and move...

You are right! And I can testify that after several shots of Scotch, it seems to be really happening and moving! haha!

 

[LuvMyMan]

REAL PANAMA?



...if so, it is a one tight weave.
Oh well, lotsa summer left here in the swamps.

Wow That takes our "best looking" so far in this entire thread!

 

[Bob Roberts]

You are right! And I can testify that after several shots of Scotch, it seems to be really happening and moving! haha!

...and pink elephants!

 

[alanfgag]

A follow-up to Rick Blaine's post above from the new owner of the mysterious ventilated Brighton Hat. My search for Brighton Hats and Rain-Leigh have come up empty so far (I hope my skilled Google searcher friends here will show us more), but I did have success with the patent referenced inside the hat. US 2026392 is a patent for a process to make an "imitation Bangkok hat" with water resistant properties. The material appears to to be paper fiber, woven in a very tight weave and then treated with a chemical bath to make the final product waterproof and washable. This patent is referenced in subsequent (1954, 1956) patents by Frank Lee and Hat Corporation of America. Is it 1930s or 1950s? Read on...

The hat weighs 3.1 ounces, measures 4 1/2" to the top of the optimo ridge and has a 2 1/4" brim. The form, dimensions and some elements of manufacture feel 1930s. I wasn't sure...

... until I found a small wad of paper tightly folded underneath the sweatband at the front of the hat. Thank goodness for small headed men!

 

[FedOregon]

Excellent history on a very interesting hat! And you wear it well, Alan!

 

[alanfgag]

Thank you... on top of being a fun story, it's fun on top too. ;^)

 

[FedOregon]

I was sorry to see I was too late to buy it, but couldn't be happier about the man that did.

 

[mayserwegener]

Alan, Super! Great write up + photos!

 

[RJR]

Excellent history on a very interesting hat! And you wear it well, Alan!

+1

 

[Redfokker]

+1

 

[carouselvic]

 

[alanfgag]

Great hunting... thank you. This is the machinery referenced in the 1950s patent from Hat Corporation of America?

 

[carouselvic]

Not sure of the patent numbers. Many years ago I sent a day on the computer tracing the origins of the Bankaru, Bangora, Balibuntal, Baku and Toyo hats of the Far East. These photos were some of the machines that would weave the paper hats that helped bring an end to the handmade Baku of talipot palm and the buntal hats of buri Palm.

 

[alanfgag]

I looked at the two later patents (Lee and HCA) that referenced the one I posted above from 1935. The HCA patent is for a machine, but it appears to be about making a woven hat from thermoplastic material.

 

[1mach1]

A follow-up to Rick Blaine's post above from the new owner of the mysterious ventilated Brighton Hat. My search for Brighton Hats and Rain-Leigh have come up empty so far (I hope my skilled Google searcher friends here will show us more), but I did have success with the patent referenced inside the hat. US 2026392 is a patent for a process to make an "imitation Bangkok hat" with water resistant properties. The material appears to to be paper fiber, woven in a very tight weave and then treated with a chemical bath to make the final product waterproof and washable. This patent is referenced in subsequent (1954, 1956) patents by Frank Lee and Hat Corporation of America. Is it 1930s or 1950s? Read on...

The hat weighs 3.1 ounces, measures 4 1/2" to the top of the optimo ridge and has a 2 1/4" brim. The form, dimensions and some elements of manufacture feel 1930s. I wasn't sure...
... until I found a small wad of paper tightly folded underneath the sweatband at the front of the hat. Thank goodness for small headed men!

Wow! Great story, and a great piece to add to your collection. Congratulations are in order, Alan.

 

[mikespens]

Fantastic machine, thanks for posting that Vic. Also glad the hat went to you Alan, it was very tempting to me as well but I'm trying to remain a hat wearer rather than a hat collector. It's a fine line I may have already crossed though

When you think about it, a waterproof "straw" hat makes perfect sense in the tropical climates they were worn it.

 

[Denton]

Great hat, Alan! It's amazing to me how nice some of the early paper straws can be. I'm also thinking of a hat from the 1920s belonging to Garret, and Mikespens's burlap hat.

 

[alanfgag]

Royal Stetson Panama, mid to late 1930s. More details in the pre-1940s Stetson thread.

 

[RJR]

Royal Stetson Panama, mid to late 1930s. More details in the pre-1940s Stetson thread.

That is a treasure!

 

[1mach1]

Indeed it is!
Very nice, Alan.