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Which Presidents Wore Hats>?

Herzen

One of the Regulars
Messages
207
Location
Western New York
I had the opportunity of handling a couple of FRD's hats back when I worked for the NPS, including one of his inaugural toppers. I'm not sure of his size (I'm sure I could find it somewhere on the internet), but they seemed rather small to me. Maybe 6 7/8? I remember being mildly surprised because he always looked rather leonine in photographs.

Edit: I did the search and found a source that says his hat size was 7 3/8. Don't know why they seemed so small to me.
 
Last edited:

TheLibrarian

New in Town
Messages
38
Location
Manchester, CT, USA
There are photos of every president since the 1860s in a hat of one kind or another. Presidents before that were in eras when hats were ubiquitous but were also in an era when photos of them out-of-doors and in casual situations couldn't exist -- simply because photography didn't get invented until the mid 1830s.

Of course, there is also my favorite president, who probably couldn't have worn a hat if he wanted to. As the saying goes, "either hat or hair," and Van Buren went with the hair.

(Actually, he's looking kind of subdued in this photograph. Sometimes The Old Fox of Kinderhook went really big on the sides.)


vanburen.jpg
 

Mobile Vulgus

One Too Many
Messages
1,144
Location
Chicago
LOL. YEah cutting hair was not nearly the art it is today!

In fact, all the way until the 1950s, men's hair was only cut at length. There was no idea about feather cutting men's hair. It was only cut once it got too long. So, if your hair tended to get real thick and helmet-like, well that is what you were stuck with. Or if you hair tended to have major body waves, well that was that. This is why you see photos of the early 1800s and early 1900s and sometimes men's hair seem so wild.

Today when you get a hair cut your barber or stylist will cut your hair at the same length all over your head. So today our hair is much thinner in that way. Back then they just cut off the ends and that was that.
 

DanielJones

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,042
Location
On the move again...
Coolidge at a baseball game
SuperStock_486-641.jpg


As a natty fisherman
73849472.jpg


Formal
grace.jpg


He was a President of many hats.

Herbert Hoover is another natty fisherman
pict317.jpg


in a topper
3201167.jpg


great Optimo Crown Panama
herbert-hoover-whitehousegarden.jpg


And a well worn chapeau.
SF39414.jpg


Cheers!

Dan
 

Sam Craig

One Too Many
Messages
1,356
Location
Great Bend, Kansas
This is an incredible thread in so many ways ... certainly one of the best ever developed in the Lounge and I hope everyone gets the time to work through it all.

First, thanks to everyone who continues to stay above the political nastiness that has taken over our culture.

Second, Way to go on the great research that brought in so many wonderful presidential hat pics.

Finally, Those of us who remember the '60s, who remember "the wet head is dead" realize why Kennedy was not fond of hats.
The man made his longer, non-oiled top hair his trademark ... swipe the hair bangs back as you talk ... RFK did the same thing, even more so.
Remember that image.
OK, now, remember when you had longer hair and didn't use "a little dab" and remember how your hair looked when you took off your hat.

HAT HEAD!

That is going to create negative photo ops that really haunt you.

That is what happened to the presidential hat.

Sam
 
Messages
15,276
Location
Somewhere south of crazy
You see, though, now that most of us don't have that great sweep of hair on top, we are perfectly content to wear our hats. My wife mentioned just last night how sharp I look when wearing hats, but she had to go and blow it by saying "of course it's to hide your balding head". Thanks, dear.
 

Sam Craig

One Too Many
Messages
1,356
Location
Great Bend, Kansas
Mine isn't thinning, but over the years it has gotten courser ... my Bride tells me that is because the gray ones are courser than the rest.
Whatever.
I had a talk with my barber a few years ago and he suggested I either start cutting my hair really short or stop wearing hats.
That's all it took.
The REALLY short hair is easier to take care of, too, and I save a fortune on NOT buying combs!

Sam
 

thebroker

One of the Regulars
Messages
108
Location
Middlesboro, KY
I am a big fan of presidential biographies, and recently picked up a couple at a used book store in Knoxville, TN. Truman and Eisenhower are among my favorites, and I was delighted to see that the cover photos on both books feature the Presidents with hats.

IMAG0042.jpg


IMAG0041.jpg
 

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