German & Austrian Hutmachers

Mario said:

The date of production was stamped on the inside of the sweatband: May 18, 1961. Thanks for that! Gene pointed out that this looks like Mayser's clone of the Stetson Playboy. Wonderfully soft felt and a raw edge. I really love this one!

Another hat I forgot to post here. The brand name is Monreal, which is also the name of a very small town in the Eifel, Germany.

Much as I tried, I couldn't come up with any info about the brand, even though I made calls to the city hall and the tourist board. There was a hat factory once, but that was a long time ago.
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mayserwegener said:

Thank you for posting them here. That Mayser is a real beauty!

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rlk said:

Moderately light and quite soft. The stitched overwelt brim is 2-5/16". The 2" leather sweatband is soft and thinner than standard. Seems to have been made for its home market as it says Wien and not Made in Austria. Actually fits.

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Mario said:

Yes, it is - even though it hit some bad luck a couple of days ago when the cord of the wind trolley snapped...

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mayserwegener said:

RLK, Thank you for posting all the pictures. I really love this one. I can't see all the numbers on the paper label. When you get a chance could you please post.

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Ephraim Tutt So...do any of you know who the hutmacher was? Was this a popular hat in Germany prior to the Prince's visit or was it created by the Royal stylista?[/QUOTE said:

According to a Wikipedia entry (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homburg_(Hut)) the Prince of Wales commissioned Hatter Mockel of Bad Homburg on the 29th of August 1882 to make a Homburg hat for him. He was not the inventor, however. His German nephew Emperor Wilhelm II already wore one in green for hunting. Edward had an affection to like it and had one made in gray.

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Dreispitz said:

According to a Wikipedia entry (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homburg_(Hut)) the Prince of Wales commissioned Hatter Mockel of Bad Homburg on the 29th of August 1882 to make a Homburg hat for him. He was not the inventor, however. His German nephew Emperor Wilhelm II already wore one in green for hunting and Edward had an affection to like it and had one made in gray.

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Dreispitz said:

the Prince of Wales commissioned Hatter Mockel of Bad Homburg on the 29th of August 1882 to make a Homburg hat for him.

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Ephraim Tutt said:

Well now folks - 29 August is only 2 days away. I'm thinkin' FL needs to have an official Homage to Homburg Day on the anniversary of such a historic event!

What say you?!

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Ephraim Tutt said:

We've been having a discussion over on a thread called "What's the Banjo wearing?" about Aussie poet, Banjo Paterson's homburg-esque hat seen here:

The photo was taken, as far as I can tell, in the 1890's which got us wondering when homburgs became popular. Some research told us that Prince Albert Edward (later King Edward VII) popularised the hat after having one made for himself on a visit to Bad Homburg in 1890.

So...do any of you know who the hutmacher was? Was this a popular hat in Germany prior to the Prince's visit or was it created by the Royal stylista?

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mayserwegener said:

Here is some additional info on Möckel.

Möckel Bad Homburg, Germany

In 1806 pH. Möckel was founded in 1806. A industrialized hat factory was started by Phillip Möckel in 1856.

A hat called Homburg
The Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VII of England, and Konrad Adenauer, the first Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, have one thing in common: their love of the Homburg. The former created it, the latter then turned it into a fashionable hat in more recent times. During his visits to Homburg, the English Prince occasionally met his nephew, Kaiser Wilhelm II., who liked to wear a special hunting uniform, which comprised, amongst other things, a green hat with the brim rolled slightly inwards on one side. Edward, who had the reputation of being one of the best-dressed men at the close of the 19th century, decided to have the hat made in an elegant shade of grey – by the Homburg-based hat manufacturers Möckel, who were even awarded a patent for their “Homburg”. The new hat quickly took the world of men’s fashions by storm, surpassing the stiff top hat and bowler hat that had until then been the usual mode of attire. The lightweight, casually-elegant “Homburg” was representative of the new joy of living. Later on, the “Homburg” was also manufactured in blue and black, although Adenauer always preferred the original grey.

Also there is hat museum in Bad Homburg.

http://www.bad-homburg.de/sc/Tourism_Leisure/Sightseeing/Gothic_House/325543.asp

http://www.taunustipp.de/Hutmuseum.html

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