I have encountered an odd silk high hat in our collection – we have many of these, I’ve seen many, and this one has stymied me.

First of all, it’s a very small head size.  I have been blessed with a large and generally empty skull and it would just balance on the top of my head -. and not in a modish Isabella Blow-type style.  Therefore, I’m assuming it’s a small woman’s or man’s; maybe a young teenage male.  It has the typical curled/curved brim, everything typical – however, it has a deliberately placed grommet or eyelet in the center of the top of the crown.  Can anyone shed light on what this was for – I can’t imagine one would stick a plume in there, which is what I’d like to believe, as that is kind of fun and wacky.  I was thinking maybe it was a woman’s riding hat, and veiling or netting was attached through the hole, but that seemed weird also.

My dear volunteer wittily said it was a place for the soul to escape (we doing funerary and ghostly things at the moment) …

Any thoughts?

Candace Perry

Curator

Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center

Pennsburg, PA

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