Want to buy or sell something? Check the classifieds
  • The Fedora Lounge is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

The BORSALINO BROTHERHOOD

Messages
17,514
Location
Maryland
I always try to do my best, but so far I have found only one catalog in 1989 :rolleyes:
I stay tuned in search of some document that speaks of the Borsalino hats in detail
Meanwhile, good hunting for you too!
Daniele, Yes your 1989 Borsalino catalog was a great + important find. I am sure they sent out similar catalogs going back to their beginning. As always I will be on the look out too. Let's hope 2019 brings new finds!
 
Last edited:

Bill Hughes

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,165
Location
North Texas
This is my latest vintage acquisition. A 1950s Borsalino Lontra (Otter). My understanding is Italy outlawed otter felt in the 1970s. This is very lightweight felt that has an unusual tan color in that is has a bit of a reddish/peach tone. The color is "Muflone" which is a small reddish/brownish wild sheep. The model is Fantesca. I acquired this from Alan aka @alanfgag. As you know any hat from Alan is bound to be top shelf and is therefore to be cherished.

IMG_2360.jpg
IMG_2359.jpg IMG_2358.jpg IMG_5748.jpg IMG_5747.jpg IMG_5746.jpg IMG_5745.jpg IMG_5742.jpg IMG_5749.jpg IMG_5750.jpg
 
Messages
18,443
Location
Nederland
This is my latest vintage acquisition. A 1950s Borsalino Lontra (Otter). My understanding is Italy outlawed otter felt in the 1970s. This is very lightweight felt that has an unusual tan color in that is has a bit of a reddish/peach tone. The color is "Muflone" which is a small reddish/brownish wild sheep. The model is Fantesca. I acquired this from Alan aka @alanfgag. As you know any hat from Alan is bound to be top shelf and is therefore to be cherished.

View attachment 152143 View attachment 152142 View attachment 152141 View attachment 152140 View attachment 152139 View attachment 152138 View attachment 152137 View attachment 152136 View attachment 152135 View attachment 152134
That is just outstanding, Bill! Another lontra felt Borsalino was offered on Ebay a few months ago, but it was not in my size. How does the felt compare?
 
Messages
18,443
Location
Nederland
Last one is the best one. This one I bought at an auction thinking it would be a very old German made hat. Let's start off with some of the auction shots.
gari1-jpg.152789
gari2-jpg.152790
gari3-jpg.152791
gari5-jpg.152792
gari6-jpg.152793

Hat, sweatband, liner look old and it comes in a box, which i know is not original to the hat, bit still has a newspaper in it dating back to 1909. For just shy of $25 including shipping, what's not to like. Didn't even bother to ask what size the hat was.
The hat arrives and unpacking I am pleasantly surprised by the feel of the felt. The brim is all wonky because of the hat sitting in a wrong box for decades, but that will probably steam out.
Under the sweat could be the answer to who made this mystery hat. And there I find this:

borsalino-elegant_10-jpg.152794

Interesting to say the least. This label with the separate size label places this somewhere in the thirties (according to the sketchy Borsalino lore). OK, so a thirties Borsalino with a replacement sweatband and liner in an older box. Very nice. There's more to this hat than that however. First some shots to fill up this first installment.
The size is 57 (5) and the model name is "Natalsti" (if I'm reading it correctly). Brim is a generous 7,5cm and the crown measures 10,5cm at the pinch.
Stay tuned for part 2.

borsalino-elegant_01-jpg.152799
borsalino-elegant_02-jpg.152800
borsalino-elegant_03-jpg.152801
borsalino-elegant_04-jpg.152802
 
Messages
18,443
Location
Nederland
Part 2
A very cool Borsalino with a replaced sweatband and liner. I usually look into the retailer of the hats I find and more often than not there's nothing to be found. Not so in this case.
Carl Freindrich Hermann Haugk was located in Dresden, Pragerstrasse 37 (Europahof) and that turned up this place on the interweb.
altstadt-dresden-strassenpartie-hotel-europaeischer-hof-prager-strasse-1902-jpg.152809


And there's even a litho of the Haugk factory (in 1857):
leipzig-haucks-hutfabrik-kolorierte-lithographie-1857-jpg.152807


However Haugk was only located on the Pragerstrasse 37 address until 1906, after which date the address is occupied by Johannes Kupke. These are publications dated 1916 and 1926 respectively:
kupke-1916-jpg.152805
kupke-1926-jpg.152806

Haugk still is located in Dresden after 1906, but on a different address:
haugk1-jpg.152815
haugk2-jpg.152816

The King of Saxony (Freidrich August III) abdicated in 1918 after the Russion octoberrevolution, so Haugk was on that address before 1918, which is consistent with the Kupke information.
This doesn't make sense of course; a thirties hat with a 1906 replacement sweatband. Maybe the seller can tell me more. And he can. To his knowledge the hat in fact belonged to this man (picture belongs to seller):
fritz-otto-von-sauerstein-jpg.152813

Fritz Otto Sauerstein, 1893-1968, painter and member of the Kulturkammer in WWII. He was living in Dresden from 1922 onwards. According to the seller he is wearing the hat in this picture, which I don't think is right (the brim seems too narrow and there's more taper to the crown in the picture).
Everything adds up, except the address on the sweatband. As far as I can figure out, it might well be possible that the sweatband was replaced with one from an older (unsold) hat. How cool is that?
borsalino-elegant_05-jpg.152817
borsalino-elegant_06-jpg.152818
borsalino-elegant_07-jpg.152819
 
Part 2
A very cool Borsalino with a replaced sweatband and liner. I usually look into the retailer of the hats I find and more often than not there's nothing to be found. Not so in this case.
Carl Freindrich Hermann Haugk was located in Dresden, Pragerstrasse 37 (Europahof) and that turned up this place on the interweb.
altstadt-dresden-strassenpartie-hotel-europaeischer-hof-prager-strasse-1902-jpg.152809


And there's even a litho of the Haugk factory (in 1857):
leipzig-haucks-hutfabrik-kolorierte-lithographie-1857-jpg.152807


However Haugk was only located on the Pragerstrasse 37 address until 1906, after which date the address is occupied by Johannes Kupke. These are publications dated 1916 and 1926 respectively:
kupke-1916-jpg.152805
kupke-1926-jpg.152806

Haugk still is located in Dresden after 1906, but on a different address:
haugk1-jpg.152815
haugk2-jpg.152816

The King of Saxony (Freidrich August III) abdicated in 1918 after the Russion octoberrevolution, so Haugk was on that address before 1918, which is consistent with the Kupke information.
This doesn't make sense of course; a thirties hat with a 1906 replacement sweatband. Maybe the seller can tell me more. And he can. To his knowledge the hat in fact belonged to this man (picture belongs to seller):
fritz-otto-von-sauerstein-jpg.152813

Fritz Otto Sauerstein, 1893-1968, painter and member of the Kulturkammer in WWII. He was living in Dresden from 1922 onwards. According to the seller he is wearing the hat in this picture, which I don't think is right (the brim seems too narrow and there's more taper to the crown in the picture).
Everything adds up, except the address on the sweatband. As far as I can figure out, it might well be possible that the sweatband was replaced with one from an older (unsold) hat. How cool is that?
borsalino-elegant_05-jpg.152817
borsalino-elegant_06-jpg.152818
borsalino-elegant_07-jpg.152819
This history is wonderful. As to the sweatband stores (mainly hat stores but others who would clean and block hats) kept these in stock all debossed and ready to go to replace sweats. They did not disassemble old stock hats to recover them......too much work. And the sweats after all are the most delicate part of a hat and need replacing regularly when you wear the same hat every day.......they did not diassemble old hats to recover them.
I do have a few store marked sweats laying about......Levine hats from St Louis will sell them to you even today.....and they are debossed too! Yours was stock made up earlier for such perpose and that is just too cool.......
M
 
Messages
17,514
Location
Maryland
Stefan, Really fantastic finds and information. I have come across Haugk's Hutfabrik before. I wonder what the address looks like now? My guess is it didn't survive WWII especially being in that part of Dresden. Does the band look original (the stitches are through the paper label)? The Borsalino label is definitely from around WWII. The sweatband type looks like that era too.
 
Last edited:
Messages
18,443
Location
Nederland
Wonderful new hats and provenance stories Stefan. Thanks for the great photos and details. On the Lontra, I can confirm a felt of very high quality with unusual softness in the finish. I'm sure you will add one to your collection at some point.
Alan, thanks. I can't alway find this kind of information on a hat, so when it's there it's always a thrill. I'll keep my eye out for a Lontra felt for sure.

This history is wonderful. As to the sweatband stores (mainly hat stores but others who would clean and block hats) kept these in stock all debossed and ready to go to replace sweats. They did not disassemble old stock hats to recover them......too much work. And the sweats after all are the most delicate part of a hat and need replacing regularly when you wear the same hat every day.......they did not diassemble old hats to recover them.
I do have a few store marked sweats laying about......Levine hats from St Louis will sell them to you even today.....and they are debossed too! Yours was stock made up earlier for such perpose and that is just too cool.......
M
Mark, thanks. The use of a stock-sweatband makes perfect sense. Should have thought of that.

Stefan, Really fantastic finds and information. I have come across Haugk's Hutfabrik before. I wonder what the address looks like now? My guess is it didn't survive WWII especially being in that part of Dresden. Does the band look original (the stitches are through the paper label)? The Borsalino label is definitely from around WWII. The sweatband type looks like that era too.

Steve, thanks. The ribbon stitching runs through the label, so probably a replacement. By the look of it an early one though.
You guessed right about the Pragerstrasse not surviving the war. This is how it looks now (sigh).

20090424010DR_Dresden_Prager_Straße_Lange_Zeile_resize.jpg
 
Messages
17,514
Location
Maryland
Alan, thanks. I can't alway find this kind of information on a hat, so when it's there it's always a thrill. I'll keep my eye out for a Lontra felt for sure.


Mark, thanks. The use of a stock-sweatband makes perfect sense. Should have thought of that.



Steve, thanks. The ribbon stitching runs through the label, so probably a replacement. By the look of it an early one though.
You guessed right about the Pragerstrasse not surviving the war. This is how it looks now (sigh).

View attachment 153030
Stefan, Thank you for checking the current situation at the address. I have seen hats pieced together for theatrical purposes also for Karnival. I believe the original Borsalino was WWII era. Did it come from Germany?
 
Messages
18,443
Location
Nederland
Stefan, Thank you for checking the current situation at the address. I have seen hats pieced together for theatrical purposes also for Karnival. I believe the original Borsalino was WWII era. Did it come from Germany?
The auction was on a Dutch site, Steve. The seller did own original pictures of the previous owner, so I suspect it came as part of an estate sale or inheritance maybe.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
109,247
Messages
3,077,173
Members
54,183
Latest member
UrbanGraveDave
Top