Posted 11 years ago
LanceG
(17 items)
This is a lovely, size 7, cream colored, military style, band director's hat made by the famous Ostwald company. The brim is shiny white, with a metal, gold-colored band and buttons embossed with a lyre. The hat was purchased from Utah, but the seller did not know its history. Uniforms by Ostwald made some of the best band uniforms in America from the 1930's to 1980. Many of the most famous college band uniform designs came from Ostwald. Ostwald was known for their quality, and there are many great examples of the classic 1950's high school band shakos made by Ostwald. This hat is a bit of a mystery, though. It is marked inside as belonging to "B.D" (band director) L.D. Stephenson, but I do not know what band or the exact era it was used. It was likely a High School band, but the design is very similar to that used by many collegiate bands. The emblem, which is reminiscent of the US Army hat emblem, but missing the field of stars, was common in Ostwald designs. The Michigan State Band had a hat of similar design, but with the letters MSU atop the eagle's wings. I would love to know who Mr. Stephenson was, as it would add to the history of my collection.