A HISTORY OF HATMAKING IN NORWALK CONN.

[Cigarband]

I couldn't afford the book, so I liberated some pictures. No books were harmed in the making of these jpgs.

 

[Cigarband]

A HISTORY OF HATMAKING IN NORWALK CONN. PT.2

 

[Dreispitz]

Thank you for posting! Very valuable reference, indeed! :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[Brad Bowers]

I couldn't afford the book, so I liberated some pictures. No books were harmed in the making of these jpgs.

Thankfully, I could afford the book! It's on its way to me.

Brad

 

[Cigarband]

Glad you got it Brad:eusa_clap

 

[besdor]

I have this book in my collection. Its a wonderful history of the mens hat business in CT. Where did you see this book for sale. I havent seen another one for quite some time.



Steven
www.bencrafthats.com

 

[Brad Bowers]

I got it on ebay. I'm shocked no one else bid on it, as I figured I would have a fight on my hands.

I'm interested to see what new information I can glean from it.

Brad

 

[Cigarband]

Nobody else bid? I thought there would be a big fight so I stayed away. BDM! (Big Dummy Me):eusa_doh:

 

[Brad Bowers]

And am I ever glad you stayed away!lol

It's funny, the things I bid on for my research, many times there isn't a fight. Don't know why that's so, but I'm fine with it.

Brad

 

[besdor]

I have found quite a few books on Ebay that no one else bid on because they were obscure items.
One of the best finds was a book written about hats in 1844 by John Gennin. The Ny Public Library does have a copy! I doubt there could be a handful of these in existence. I will try to post pics of it .



Steven
www.bencrafthats.com

 

[Fletch]

The interlocking, family flavor of the business (after a certain era anyway) is familiar to those of us who have looked into other garment industry segments - Papa Spiewak's little leather fiefdom down in NJ being one example.

Norwalk seems to have taken over the "Hat City" title from Danbury, which had 50+ hat factories at its peak in the late 19c. Apparently they lost their status by being too specialized in bowlers - Danbury was devastated by the trend to softer felts early in the 20c.

 

[Cigarband]

And am I ever glad you stayed away!lol

It's funny, the things I bid on for my research, many times there isn't a fight. Don't know why that's so, but I'm fine with it.

Brad

You will of course be publishing your research in "The Encyclopedia of the Fedora" by Brad Bowers yes?

 

[Brad Bowers]

You will of course be publishing your research in "The Encyclopedia of the Fedora" by Brad Bowers yes?

Not quite that extensive of a book.lol My work focuses on John Cavanagh and the companies and brands associated with him and which he directly influenced, chiefly Crofut & Knapp, Dobbs, Cavanagh, and the Hat Corporation of America.

Brad

 

[Brad Bowers]

Received it today, and read it over lunch. It's short, but it's the most comprehensive book to date on the Norwalk Hat Industry, as you would expect. Most of this information hasn't been published anywhere else.

While it's short by nature, it still filled in several gaps in the business history that I haven't any access to at the moment. A few good tidbits about John Cavanagh, too. One of my favorites is that he used to joke that the "Ltd" in John Cavanagh, Ltd." stood for "Lay Twenty Down," referring to the high prices of his hats.

There is information on other hatters in Norwalk over the years, though much of it is scant, since the majority of the book focuses on C&K/Cavanagh-Dobbs/Hat Corp.

I can see places where my research overlaps this book, and others where I have information that they didn't put in the book. It also helped me to see the areas where I need to fill in gaps that they didn't cover as well as I would like.

It's too bad it's out of print, but that just makes more demand for my work when it's finally finished.lol

Brad

 

[alanfgag]

Bumping this thread rather than beginning anew... while searching for some history on the Murphy-Gorman Co. I found this chapter on the history of hatmaking in Danbury, CT. Not a long read and perhaps of interest to some here:

https://archives.library.wcsu.edu/o...onnecticut_Room/7787/f94_082_1924_hatting.pdf

 

[The Hatted Professor]

Thanks for sharing, Alan.

 

[alanfgag]

Thanks for sharing, Alan.

I thought this might be in the court of our Connecticut yankee. ;^)