Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Stetson's Hats For Western Wednesday...!

Ever wonder about the fashion of the old west? Not sure if you could call it fashion exactly, but you know what I mean.

Some things are easy to remember, though. Take someone like John Stetson and his line of hats!

The Original Cowboy Hat Looked Very Different



Photo credit: Wikimedia

John B. Stetson came from a long line of hatters, and when he was diagnosed with tuberculosis, he headed westward in the 1860s. After setting up shop in Missouri, Stetson created the original cowboy hat: the Boss of the Plains hat.

It looks little like what we might imagine for the typical cowboy hat, with a round brim and uncreased crown. Originally made from beaver fur and designed to be lightweight and waterproof, it was not until the Boss of the Plains hat was already popular that it began to morph into something closer to the 10-gallon hats we think of today.
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Wearers in different areas started customizing their hats, and the creases and folds of the hats developed into their own sort of language. They defined status, occupation, and where a person was from, until Stetson adopted the five most popular creases into his official line.

Hope you enjoyed this little bit of hat history from the early days of the old west.

Coffee inside again this morning. This record setting heat is something else!

6 comments:

Gorges Smythe said...

I had a Stetson many years ago. It lasted for years, until my head outgrew it! lol

linda m said...

Interesting history lesson this morning. Love the Stetson brand. Hot and humid here today. It is also lawn mowing day for me.

JO said...

Love his the Stetson hats.

Big storm came through yesterday flooded much of the town. More to come today and tomorrow.

HermitJim said...

Hey Gorges...
Yeah, that happens a lot, I think! I know it did to me.
Thanks for stopping by this morning!


Hey Linda...
Way too hot here for mowing the yard. That's way I pay someone to do it!
Thanks for coming by today!


Hey Jo...
Those sudden storms can be very bad sometimes Keep you powder dry, sweetie!
Thanks for the visit today!

Dizzy-Dick said...

That hat looks like an Amish hat. Look at this link: http://www.stetson.com/hats/op-amish Yes, Stetson made hats for the Amish, too.

Hermit's Baby Sis said...

Bubba -
I remember when you worked for a western hat company here in town, but don't remember who the company was. I'm sure you told us about the 5 creases, too. See how much I learned from my big brother?

Big hugs ~