The Oldest

[thunderw21]

Alright, who has the oldest hat on the Lounge?

 

[DOUGLAS]

That will interesting to find out. Some of the western types I am sure are the older ones

 

[Garrett]

 

[jnicktem]

Wow that thing looks old! When was it made?

 

[ScottF]

I believe Art Fawcett has/had an 1860's Dunlap, but I can't find photos.

 

[rlk]

C.H. Garden & Co. Bldg. of 1866 in Philadelphia. 606 Market St. They were in business on that street since the early 1840's. If your hat's address is not 606-608 it predates the building in the illustration.
1876(Centennial) Circular and C.H.Garden Co. info:http://books.google.com/books?id=uh...epage&q=c.h.garden & co. philadelphia&f=false
J.C.Williams authored books in the 1850's and 1860's.

 

[Garrett]

The address on the hat is 109 - 196 so indeed it does predate the building in the illustration. Wow, this is an OLD topper (pre civil war) - I also notice how the brim is wider than a standard topper and there is no edge binding on the brim and the crown is 7 1/2" tall. Curious to know when they started putting bound edges on toppers.

Thanks for the dating info, robert!

 

[dhermann1]

Oh, think of the whiskers that must have lived beneath that brim!
Abe Lincoln was known to carry around important papers stuck up inside his stove pipe hat. I suspect it was a common practice in those days. Looks like it could hold quite a lot!

 

[Dixon Cannon]

Here is my humble submission:

I really don't know the age of the hat; I received it about 1959 as a child (and immediately crushed it!). It was given to me by an old man in Binghamton, NY who was a refugee from Nazi Germany. His name was Mr. Kriegsman on Leroy Street. The printing into the felt inside reads: Rich. Bohme Berlin - Maassen Str. 22 - Tauentzien Str.13 - Potsdamer Str. 104. I Googled but found only the addresses remaining.

-dixon cannon