What is this?

[jamespowers]

yes.

Woo Hoo! We are there.

Regards to all,

J

 

[Wild Root]

What time should I expect you JP?

Root.

 

[jamespowers]

What time should I expect you JP?

Not just me all 854 of us. How about tomorrow?

Regards to all,

J

 

[Wild Root]

Sounds good, oh and it's BYOB!

Root.

 

[Biltmore Bob]

I got the ribs, y'all.

 

[SMCK]

Bat masterson?

I know this is a fedora site; however I have just read James Powers post of 6.30.04, where he says he is drawn to Bat masterson type bowlers. I find myself similarly drawn to a hat that I cant see myself ever wearing.I have never actually seen this hat on someones head, and wonder if someone could post a pic of it actually being worn to see what it looks like? so I hope that someone can manage to post a pic of this hat.

 

[Bud-n-Texas]

I know what you mean about the differences. For some reason I am drawn to the Batt Masterson type bowlers but I like to be as different as possible. They have a high crown and a wide (2 1/2" - 3") brim.
That also brings up the myth of the cowboy hat. You watch a western today and you see a sea of cowboy hats. That was not at all like reality. You should actualy see a sea of bowlers, homburgs, tophats and sombrero like hats. Check out the famous picture of Billy the Kid. What is he wearing?

Regards to all,

J

This is my Great Great Grandfather (on the right) and a couple of unknowns. No Derby, but not the style hat as seen in most westerns today.

 

[jamespowers]

I know this is a fedora site; however I have just read James Powers post of 6.30.04, where he says he is drawn to Bat masterson type bowlers. I find myself similarly drawn to a hat that I cant see myself ever wearing.I have never actually seen this hat on someones head, and wonder if someone could post a pic of it actually being worn to see what it looks like? so I hope that someone can manage to post a pic of this hat.

I am away from the collection at the moment but I will try to get a picture of it this evening. I do wear it once in a while. No one even Bats an eyelash when I do.

Regards,

J

 

[SMCK]

Bat Masterson photo

I look forward to seeing that James Powers.

 

[Benny Holiday]

Bud, that photo is fanstastic

Do you know what year it was taken? Perhaps the 1870's or 1880's? What a great family history. And look at your Great-Grandfather's boots and trousers!
That's a real family treasure right there.

 

[Arctichighlandr]

Homburg or Derby?

"I'm not sure if this is a Derby or an open crown Homburg. Looks like a homburg to me."


According to the book 'Hat Talk' the soft felt Alpine hat is the ancestor of the modern Homburg/Fedora/Trilby. The difference between a Homburg and a Derby is not its shape but its soft felt verses the Derby's hard shellac felt.

There were hundreds of variations in styles of the Derby - in how tall or short and a wide variety of lengths and shapes of the brim. I don't know if they ever made a Derby with a crease in the top (exceedingly rare if so) but Homburg's being soft could be worn with or without a crease and were made in a variety of styles that are similar to Derby styles. Both (along w/the top hat) generally had the ribbon-bound rolled brim edge - but some did not have the rolled brim. Even in the 1940's when the Homburg began to be seen as a "formal" hat and was made of a stiffer felt it was not as stiff as a Derby.

The Homburg gradually replaced the Derby as the popular hat because it was more comfortable then the hard Derby (unless the Derby was a perfect fit). It was largely a result a shellac shortage during WWI which created a shortage of the hard Derby's. People found the available softer hats more to their liking and less formality in dress became more acceptable following the war.

So a picture isn't a reliable way to distinguish between the two hat types if all it shows is the open crown. If I had to guess I'd guess it's a Homburg but without feeling the felt there is no way to know for sure.

 

[SMCK]

Bat Masterson photo?

Very intresting thread, but still hoping that someone might post photo of this hat on someones head. Thanks for yours Bud and RBH in a diffirent thread, great photos.