Posted 8 years ago
jscott0363
(907 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
You too Thomas!! Thanks buddy! Hope your eyes are getting better, after the surgery.
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!
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!
Karen,
Thanks so much for the love and for stopping by. Always so happy to see you drop in. Always very sincerely appreciated!!!!
Great post Scott!
Such a amazing collection you have of Hats ! Do you ever wear any of them ?
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.
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
Your hats are gorgeous!
Thanks Pops!!
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.
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!!
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!!!
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.!
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.
Lisa,
Thanks very much for the love and for stopping by. Very much appreciated!!!
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!!!
Thanks very much for the appreciations and for stopping in
BB2
Recordmantime
and
vetraio50
Always very much appreciated!!
Mike,
Thanks for the appreciation and for stopping by. Much appreciated!!
Very classy. Now days at a funeral people may tuck in their shirts.
fortapache,
Thanks!! You're absolutely correct about that! The times they are a changin'.
fabulous Hat!!!
Thanks you SEAN!!!
Thanks for the loves and for stopping by
Rob
SEAN
Jean
Radegunder
and
aura
Very truly appreciated!!!!
Another excellent post Scott and a very interesting history!
Thank you Rick!!! The Victorian mourning periods were very strict and complicated.
Thanks so much for the loves and for stopping by
Recordmantime
Rick
and
OneGoodFind
I do sincerely appreciate you all!!
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 !~
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!!
incredible
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!!
NevadaBlades,
Thanks so very much for the appreciation and for taking time to stop by. Always very much appreciated!!!!
Trey,
Thanks very much for the appreciation and for stopping by. Always appreciated!!
SEASON's GREETINGS to YOU & YOURS JSCOTT !!! ! !!!
And a Merry Christmas to you and yours Kevin!!
Kevin,
Kyra
and
Jenni
Thank you all so very much for the loves and for stopping in!!!