Short Brimmed Cowboy

[Rmccamey]

And if you own the cows & pay the cowboys than sure enough you’re a cattleman, & you can wear anything you damn well please!

Well said, Jack

 

[BobHufford]

All which begs the fundamental question, "what is a cowboy hat"?

I was watching a 1918 Fatty Arbuckle / Buster Keaton western and the bad guy had quite the stingy brim.

There were quite a few big westerns as well.

Hollywood, so not reality. But it was a fun romp.

 

[wsmontana]

All which begs the fundamental question, "what is a cowboy hat"?

Surely you must be able to water your horse from it. ;-)

 

[Rmccamey]

True. That would have to be the fundamental characteristic.

Surely you must be able to water your horse from it. ;-)

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Well said, Jack

Thanks Randy. Living where we do we both know there’s more to the hat you wear than just UV protection. “I can tell by your outfit”…& all that.

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

Wonder if real cowboys back in old times hat selections weren’t limited by time and place. Not like today’s eBay or movie offerings we all can enjoy in unlimited abundance of styles.
I also suspect that back then any hat was better than no hat, cowboy or not. So…
B

 

[Mighty44]

With a brim of 3,5" my Resitol Ohio has plenty of " cowboy hat" credentials overshooting, and by quite a bit an open road, for example.

Anyway the assumption that a hat with a very large brim was in the cowboy heyday " the hat" is faulty, history tells us that the most used hat by most cowboys was the bowler , hardly a hat with a large brim!


read this

https://www.hatterist.com/blog/blog-post-title-cowboy-hat-history


"...The iconic Stetson came onto the market in 1865, and it wasn't popular until the end of the 19th century. A cowboy's preferred choice of hat? The Derby—also known as the Bowler. ..."


Certainly large brimmed hats are good sun protection though

Anyway in the western film there are plenty od relatively small brimmed hats

View attachment 592663



but the wild bunch had derbys

View attachment 592665

Love Paul Newman’s hat here.

 

[T Jones]

Well, to me, it looks like we can say that there's different variations of the Western, (cowboy), hat, as seen by the many pictures posted here. Short brimmed, Mid brimmed, and Wide brimmed. People readily recognize all three variants as Cowboy Hats. I wear all three variations, myself. Anyway, here's a few more pics of short brimmed Western hats as worn by Texas Rangers from back in the day. One of those Rangers you'll recognize as Frank Hamer, and also the toughest badest Ranger of them all, Ranger Eastwood.

 

[OldSchoolAndrew]

As the OP that started this thread with the intent of finding a similar hat to my grandfather’s in the photo, this is all very interesting.
I would consider a cowboy hat as any hat worn by a working cowboy. That has certainly changed over time, but doesn’t limit what qualifies.
My Grandpa ran cattle on 2000 acres, ran a sale barn, and farmed crops. In his time, he wore shorter brimmed hats for work and dress. I’m sure it was influenced by the trends of his day. Just as his boots were - he thought all proper boots came with an R toe and riding heels.
I grew up admiring his style of hats and I know enough now to realize how rare they are in a world full of wide brimmed squared shovels. Thanks for all the suggestions on what to look for vintage or new!