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Victorian Era Mourning/Funeral Top Hat

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    Posted 8 years ago

    jscott0363
    (903 items)

    Hello CW friends!!

    Here's something you won't see many of. This is a mourning top hat from the Victorian period. This one comes from Germany and still has the original hat box that was sold with it.

    Back in the day, mourners clothing wasn't supposed to have too much flash to it and so the ladies wore black or plain colored dresses, gentlemen wore black armbands and if they wore a top hat they had to cover all, or a good portion, of the shiny part of their hat.

    This one is just a great example of the top hat that a gentleman mourner would have worn back then. This one is in pristine condition and still contains the initials of the gentleman that originally owned it.

    It's also really amazing that the original box has survived all of these many years. Just a well cared for hat, by whoever owned it.

    Thanks for stopping in to have a look and for supporting my posts!

    Scott

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    Comments

    1. jscott0363 jscott0363, 8 years ago
      You too Thomas!! Thanks buddy! Hope your eyes are getting better, after the surgery.
    2. TassieDevil TassieDevil, 8 years ago
      Scott, this is just so great, complete and in wonderful condition!!! I am really interested in mourning jewellery and have several pieces, plus I have done a lot of reading regarding the etiquette of mourning for women in the Victorian period.

      I really haven't given the men much thought as far as this is concerned!!! Thanks for posting this....will make me do some research in that direction now!
    3. jscott0363 jscott0363, 8 years ago
      Judy,
      Wonderful comment! Yes, the mourning etiquette, during that period, was very strict. There are actually periods of mourning that had to be followed based on how close the relative was. Even servants wore black armbands when a member of the household that they served had passed. It's all just so interesting to me.
      Please let us all know what else you find in regards to mourning during the Victorian period. It's very fascinating to me.
      Thanks for the love, the comment and for stopping by. Always such a pleasure to have you drop in and comment!
    4. jscott0363 jscott0363, 8 years ago
      Karen,
      Thanks so much for the love and for stopping by. Always so happy to see you drop in. Always very sincerely appreciated!!!!
    5. pops52 pops52, 8 years ago
      Great post Scott!
    6. Manikin Manikin, 8 years ago
      Such a amazing collection you have of Hats ! Do you ever wear any of them ?
    7. Celiene Celiene, 8 years ago
      Can you remove the mourning band? Seems to me to be a waste of a good hat, if you only wore it to funerals! Must have been a wealthy person to be able to do that.
    8. Celiene Celiene, 8 years ago
      Yeah - it's just a mourning band!

      "As a sign of mourning, families and friends would place a wide cloth mourning band around their hats, mostly with a vertical row of tiny silk buttons on the sides. The wider a mourning band was, the more important the funeral.
      The funeral announcer had a black mourning veil hanging from his hat. Fifty years earlier, the announcer had still worn a three-sided cocked hat with mourning veil."

      http://www.silktophats.eu/historytophat.html
    9. Celiene Celiene, 8 years ago
      Your hats are gorgeous!
    10. jscott0363 jscott0363, 8 years ago
      Thanks Pops!!
    11. jscott0363 jscott0363, 8 years ago
      Mani,
      Thanks so very much!! No, I don't ever wear any of them. Out of all my hats (about 20 in all) I have 1 that's my 7 1/8 size. It's very old and I keep it in it's leather case to preserve it.
    12. jscott0363 jscott0363, 8 years ago
      Celiene,
      Thanks so much for the cool info! I was not aware of the width of the mourning band. Very cool information to know and add to the history of my hat. You're absolutely correct that the mourning band is removable. Thanks again so very much!!
    13. jscott0363 jscott0363, 8 years ago
      Thanks so very very much for the loves and for stopping by

      Thomas

      Kare

      Judy

      Mary

      Michael

      Pops

      Kyra

      and

      Mani

      All very sincerely appreciated!!!
    14. Celiene Celiene, 8 years ago
      You're welcome! It just seemed to go against Victorian sensibilities to have a dedicated mourning hat! There were so many strict protocols back then. I live near a funeral parlor, and sometimes people outside the service are just in their street clothes - jeans etc.!
    15. jscott0363 jscott0363, 8 years ago
      Celiene,
      It was always drilled into us to dress nicely for visitation and ALWAYS wear a suit to a funeral. I see folks show up in shorts and sandals now. Kinda sad.
    16. jscott0363 jscott0363, 8 years ago
      Lisa,
      Thanks very much for the love and for stopping by. Very much appreciated!!!
    17. jscott0363 jscott0363, 8 years ago
      Ken,
      Thanks so much for the fine comment!! Yes, thanks to those folks, we are able to continue to preserve many parts of our history for others to enjoy. Thanks for the appreciation and for taking time to stop in. Always truly appreciated!!!
    18. jscott0363 jscott0363, 8 years ago
      Thanks very much for the appreciations and for stopping in

      BB2

      Recordmantime

      and

      vetraio50

      Always very much appreciated!!
    19. jscott0363 jscott0363, 8 years ago
      Mike,
      Thanks for the appreciation and for stopping by. Much appreciated!!
    20. fortapache fortapache, 8 years ago
      Very classy. Now days at a funeral people may tuck in their shirts.
    21. jscott0363 jscott0363, 8 years ago
      fortapache,
      Thanks!! You're absolutely correct about that! The times they are a changin'.
    22. SEAN68 SEAN68, 8 years ago
      fabulous Hat!!!
    23. jscott0363 jscott0363, 8 years ago
      Thanks you SEAN!!!
    24. jscott0363 jscott0363, 8 years ago
      Thanks for the loves and for stopping by

      Rob

      SEAN

      Jean

      Radegunder

      and

      aura

      Very truly appreciated!!!!
    25. Rick55 Rick55, 8 years ago
      Another excellent post Scott and a very interesting history!
    26. jscott0363 jscott0363, 8 years ago
      Thank you Rick!!! The Victorian mourning periods were very strict and complicated.
    27. jscott0363 jscott0363, 8 years ago
      Thanks so much for the loves and for stopping by

      Recordmantime

      Rick

      and

      OneGoodFind

      I do sincerely appreciate you all!!
    28. PhilDMorris PhilDMorris, 8 years ago
      I very much like the information I learned about the hat. I had to wear a very similar shaped hat to my fathers wedding so I realize what they look like, but it must have been a hindrince to wear such hats every day and carry them around, especially with a cane and white gloves. WOW, what a fine piece to own !~
    29. jscott0363 jscott0363, 8 years ago
      Well, thank you PhilDMorris!!
      I have to agree with you that it would be such a hassle to wear these on a daily basis and have to carry these around with all of the other accessories that gentlemen wore back then. Can't even fathom that now! Thanks also for the appreciation and for taking time to stop by. Very much appreciated!!
    30. kivatinitz kivatinitz, 8 years ago
      incredible
    31. jscott0363 jscott0363, 8 years ago
      kivatinitz,
      Thanks so much! I find anything regarding the Victorian era mourning periods to be very fascinating. I was very excited when I found this one. Thanks for the comment, the love and for stopping by. Always very truly appreciated!!
    32. jscott0363 jscott0363, 8 years ago
      NevadaBlades,
      Thanks so very much for the appreciation and for taking time to stop by. Always very much appreciated!!!!
    33. jscott0363 jscott0363, 8 years ago
      Trey,
      Thanks very much for the appreciation and for stopping by. Always appreciated!!
    34. vetraio50 vetraio50, 8 years ago
      SEASON's GREETINGS to YOU & YOURS JSCOTT !!! ! !!!
    35. jscott0363 jscott0363, 8 years ago
      And a Merry Christmas to you and yours Kevin!!
    36. jscott0363 jscott0363, 2 years ago
      Kevin,
      Kyra
      and
      Jenni
      Thank you all so very much for the loves and for stopping in!!!

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