Wool top hats were popular in the 1830s and through most of the nineteenth century. The shapes of the hats changed over time.
Wool Hats
Wool top hats were popular in the 1830s and through most of the nineteenth
century. The shapes of the hats changed over time.
This hat is a reproduction of an 1840s hat.
This hat is a period illustration of an 1820s-1830s style of hat.
Wool hats were made of felted wool. Felting
is a process which made the wool tighter and more compact. To felt wool
a hatter soaked the wool in water and when it was wet they beat it with
a mallet. Beating the wet wool causes the tiny scales on the individual
fibers to mesh together to make felt. When the felt formed it was ready
to spread out and dry. After it was dry it was ready to be made into hats.
Fur from beaver hides was also used to make high quality felt for hats.
Ledger entry from an 1840s Jacksonville, IL store.
Mr. Alexander would have kept a similar record.
