The Cap Faction

[Worf]

Damian!!!!!! I bow to a superior talent......

Worf

 

[howardeye]

Maybe the coolest workwear cap I've ever seen...
View attachment 5173

I want one!

 

[DamianM]

Thank you Worf.

I made a 3 back pleat cap with the same fabric I just need to photograph it and it will be up soon.

 

[Stuffsmith]

Great work, Damian! I love the sharpness of the darts! Keith

 

[Stuffsmith]

Hey fellas...

A stack of photos here, but a rare cap to share.

1922 3-pleat newsboy cap emblazoned with 'Kid Jackie' on the lining. You can read the ads included here from a 1921/22 edition of The American Hatter. As it turns out, Jackie Coogan was the first film star to be merchandised - piles of Little Jackie items were made to satisfy the market who went crazy for the little guy in Chaplin's 'The Kid.' (there is a related thread elsewhere about this in the Lounge). This pre-dated and set the mold for other child-star marketing blitzes like Shirley Temple, Our Gang, et al.



Apparently Coogan's parents lived lavishly off of Jackie's fame and fortune and saved none of it for him, thereby setting another, more sinister precedent. Avarice went hand-in-hand with endorsements right from the get-go.

This cap was jumping on the product frenzy.

I scored this one as deadstock, and carefully sized it up from a wee 6 7/8" to my 7 3/8" noggin with great success. I love the proportions of this cap, and the details like the pleated liner around the whole circumference. Even the snap is lovely.



It might be a good time to mention that I will be launching a new site for selling vintage caps that can be re-sized to order! But that's another post...!



Apologies for the gargantuan post...

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

Good Job on the resize. Man to get the cap to 7 3/8's That must have been some work. The funny part on this cap is that the cap work by Jackie in the movie is a mans cap that is way larger that that of a child. An that is what made the Kid look so cute and help the performance in the movie. But the cap's sold where just 8 dart standard cap's of the day. Love the details of the cap front of crown not extending all the way to the front of the brim and the pleats where well done. I think with your pictures the cap would have gone for more money.

 

[Stuffsmith]

Thanks Ed. You're right about the irony of selling a joe-regular cap with his name on it. I'd love one like the ratty caps he wore in the film!

As you can see in the pix, this one was a jump-on-the-wagon product, not the 'official Jackie Coogan', which looks like a more generous cut. But damn cool, nonetheless.

I find that the smaller diameter caps can sometimes look wrong on my head, but this one suits me, I think.

 

[job]

Nice cap and cool story.

 

[dh66]

Great find Keith. I dig the cut of that cap, and a nice bit of history. A resize of that proportion was an ambitious endeavor, congrats on your success. Of course, it may well have been more generously proportioned on a less generously proportioned head
Good job

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[Chepstow]

Good Job done, Keith. That is an fantastic Cap and find. Looks sharp all around.
Congrats to that beauty.



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[ManofKent]

Nice job on the resizing and fascinating back story.

 

[seabass]

Keith
Excellent presentation
& detailed pics
Important info for a cap fan

Ed good commentary

The cap is very nice
It must have looked large on a actual 6 7/8" head
As shown in the actual films
Did you try it on your kid & get a pic prior to resizing ?

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Keith; Thanks very much for the post. I spent some time reading some cooresponding material on the story of Jackie Coogan. Interesting insight to this bit of history.

I too like the dimensions of your re-sized cap. I can easily see that the cap could be worn country or city. I am a smaller head and when I have excitedly aquired/found vintage caps, I find I do not wear them. The caps have seemingly yards of fabric draped and falling about my ears. The brims all appear to be brims that had not been resized for the smaller cap. Just a universal brim for all sizes. I have been dissapointed. The caps, to my eye, make me look as if I am wearing part of a costume.

Your cap has an excellent band, the pleats are clever and create order to the fabric and the "puff" of fabric for the dome of the cap. The brim appears to be of excellent wearable proportion. The material has depth and a richness that brings eye appeal. Excellent sir!

Best, Eric -

 

[Zombie_61]

...Apparently Coogan's parents lived lavishly off of Jackie's fame and fortune and saved none of it for him, thereby setting another, more sinister precedent. Avarice went hand-in-hand with endorsements right from the get-go.
..

As a result, Coogan played a large part in establishing the California Child Actors Bill (also known as the Coogan Act).

That's a beautiful cap, and a nice bit of history to go along with it Keith! I think the color(s), dimensions, and style suit you very well!

 

[David Conwill]

You know, I'd heart of Jackie Coogan and the Coogan Act, but never realized he went on to serve with the Chindit Commandos and play Uncle Fester on The Addams Family. Coolest thing I've learned all day.

 

[dh66]

I thought the little feller looked familiar.

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[Stuffsmith]

The uncle fester factoid is hilarious, I forgot to add that. Thanks guys for your good and supportive words.

Another good reason to post this kind of detail about unusual pieces is to benefit the burgeoning clan of cap makers found here in the lounge - Johnny, Barry and now Damian, who can parlay those little details into finery that benefits us all!

Seabass, what a good point about photographing the cap on Miles. Here he is sporting it – even though the band is too big for him, the crown is exactly as it was at the smaller size – I make sure I don't distort the shape of the crown itself - so you can get a better picture of what it would have looked like on a kid it was intended for. Good suggestion!

One last thing, lovely to see Eric and a few others who don't normally jump over into the cap thread. Eric, your comments were really appreciated and thoughtful. I get what you're saying about the fit on a smaller head. The variety of cap shapes is actually quite varied, which I find out the more I collect these things.

Keith

 

[seabass]

Keith
Great Cap on both you & Miles. That's a good sized brim for the original size..
So that goes to show the cap company did try to make a large proportioned cap in the smaller size
looks fantastic on both oy you Thanks to you & Miles for the comparison..
I was watching the auction as well for the kids but they have plenty of caps for now ...
Good to see you putting it to use....
che

 

[Stuffsmith]

Who says guys get to have all the fun? Happy birthday to my lovely Irena - and thank you immensely to Barry and Tonya, for your speed, skill and all around excellence!

 

[Chepstow]

Keith, a Happy Birthday from me too! Irena look wonderful with that Cap. Also the color of the Cap works good for her. Excellent!