The Fedora Lounge-Publisher, The Historical Record of the American Hat Industry

[mthatter]

erased by mt

 

[EricH]

I'll throw my hat in. I think it would be a great idea. I do writing for publications as I am sure many of the other members/lurkers do. Even though the history/styles aspect is becoming a big interest to me, I think it would also be great to get a handbook on the care/maintenance of hats. What was common knowledge has been lost to a lot of us and it would be useful to keep our hats in tip top shape. Perhaps, though, paper is not the best first choice with its high overhead. What about an interactive media site? What do you webmasters think?

 

[Mycroft]

Great idea, I think a real good style guide on the different blocks shapes and hat shapes as well as colors, and what to wear with per hat color.

 

[Matt Deckard]

Sounds like a good idea... logistically I think there are currently enough members who can reach out to locals who may have worked in the hatting industry during its hayday. I wish more modern hatters would take the time to contact and talk to hatters who worked for the big companies from the past.

There is knowledge galore in the archives of this forum and photos are easy to take... cataloguing and showing people how to date hats effectively... first a refference on the Golden era, then to the publisher.

 

[Kaleponi Craig]

A great idea, John. There certainly are folks here on the Lounge who know a lot about hat history. I think we already have a pretty good start with existing threads on some of the subjects you mentioned.

A good book written about what went wrong in the hat industry already exists: "Hatless Jack : The President, the Fedora and the Death of the Hat" -- by Neil Steinberg. I'm sure some on the Lounge have read it already, but it goes into rather excrutiating detail about the demise of the hat in the US. Most people blame Jack Kennedy for this, but when you read this book you realize that the hat was on the decline way before Kennedy was on the scene...KC

 

[Brad Bowers]

I love this idea!

Some libraries around the country carry most or all of the back issues of Hat Life, probably microfilmed. NY Public Library has it, for one, if I remember correctly. I'm wanting to go back through the issues to see if I could find enough information to write a history of the Cavanagh Edge. Put my recent MA in History to good use!

Brad

 

[jamespowers]

I love this idea!

Some libraries around the country carry most or all of the back issues of Hat Life, probably microfilmed. NY Public Library has it, for one, if I remember correctly. I'm wanting to go back through the issues to see if I could find enough information to write a history of the Cavanagh Edge. Put my recent MA in History to good use!

Brad

Oh geez.:clap Sign me up for the first signed copy. :cheers1: You have already done quite a bit at the Copyright Office. Great work so far.

Regards to all,

J

 

[Andykev]

Here you go

I have two years approximately, before I retire. Then, I have MANY projects, writings, and books I'd love to write. From Aviation, to Hats...gardening too.

Sounds like a great ideal How about "Collections of memories: The Lost Art of Hatmaking in America"? OK I copyright that title.

 

[Aaron Hats]

Does anybody know what how long the copyright on a book lasts? Is it legal to have some of these out of print books and magazines reprinted?

 

[photobyalan]

Last I knew, and this is according to the Copyright Act of 1976, the duration of a copyright was the life of the copyright owner plus 50 years. As the law before then was different, copyrights in effect at the time of passage of the Act were extended to a total of 75 years. If my math and my understanding of the law is correct, anything published before 1931 should be fair game by now.

One thing to note: in Hoehling v. Universal City Studios (1980), Circuit Judge Kaufman said for the court:
In works devoted to historical subjects, it is our view that a second author may make significant use of prior work, so long as he does not bodily appropriate the expression of another...Knowledge is expanded...by granting new authors of historical works a relatively free hand to build upon the work of their predecessors."

Facts are not copyrightable, only the style in which they are expressed. I would be very wary of making photocopies or direct transcripts of copyrighted works and putting them on the internet, but you could certainly lift any facts you wanted from them and write your own articles.

 

[John in Covina]

I had a similar idea & sent to Schiffer Publishing

Below is a copy of a letter I sent Monday to Schiffer, suggesting they put together a team to do a book on Fedroas, and posibly vintage styles. I hope no-one takes any offense at what I wrote, I was just trying to give the idea of the passion that many have on this subject. Also how there are plenty of people interested that just need a nudge to be inspired.


January 23, 2006

Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.
4880 Lower Valley Road
Atglen, Pennsylvania 19310

Dear Sirs:

I’d like to propose the subject of a book for your collectors catalog. I am sure that among the people that have written for you previously there should be a writer or a team of writers/researchers that could put this together very well. The focus of the book:

“The Fedora: The Definitive Men’s Hat�

According to some the history of the Fedora starts in the 1920’s but the design seems to be rooted in earlier productions. There was a time when a well dressed man always wore a hat. For many the Fedora is THE man’s hat, evoking masculinity, power, grace and style. A fedora can be shaped and worn to convey a message about the wearer, it can be menacing, congenial, jovial, business like, studious, happy go lucky, determined, etc. If you know old films you have seen it often conveyed in films such as those by Hal Roach or any Private Detective, Film Noir release.

Contents and areas of research:
• What makes a Fedora?
• Changes over time, gangster to stingy brim to porkpie.
• Style: Crown shape and height
• Style: Brim size and shape also snap up and down.
• Style: Ribbons, bows, size & color (Color same or contrasting) Why the feather?
• The FELT: Quality: pure beaver, fur mixed, and non fur. Why is pure beaver considered the best? Making the felt, colors & dyes, stiff or floppy (Many vintage collectors tend to prefer soft and floppy like well used or WWII production.)
• Making the hat.
• The lining and sweat band, the source of information like a wine bottle’s label.
• Vintage manufacturers and current manufacturers, see below.
• Current CUSTOM hat makers: Art Fawcett, Steve Delks, Baron Hats. Etc. (Baron does a lot of movie hats.)
• Cleaning, restoration, re-blocking, (changing the style) and resizing.
• How to care for your hat.
• Shaping a hat for an individual look.
• Hat sizes, how derived, what is the origin, and what is a long oval?
• Fedoras in Film: Film makers & costume design versus historical fact
• Famous hats in film: Bogey, Tracy, Indiana Jones Adventure hat.
• Film: many current hat wears were inspired by a hat they saw in the movies.
• (Research Area: See www.indygear.com or search for “club obi-wan�)
• Hats setting the era: Seabiscuit, Cinderella Man, etc.
• The Vintage Underground those that wear vintage see connection to Swing music revival.
• Links to the musicians: rock jazz and swing, past and present.
• Cult of personality: who’s wearing them now. (Johnny Depp)
• Competition: Straw Boater, Bowler, Derby, Panama, the Trilby, Homburg and Western.
• Myth & Truths about fedoras.
• Research Area: look at the Advertisements from vintage publications on E-bay
• Research Area: E-bay vintage and new Fedoras on auction Research Area: See site www.thefedoralounge.com for hat / vintage info.
• Research: see the book “Men’s Hats� by Adele Campione.

Most major cities have a hat store or the major men’s clothing stores that will carry hats as well as on the Web, there major stores and smaller vendors do mail order. They could be a source of information and history. There are recognized brands such as Stetson which continue to make Fedoras. Hats were made in the US, Italy France, England plus Australia. Other countries may have had regional manufactures that we here in the US aren’t familiar with. Here is a list of some of the recognized brands both current and vintage: Akubra from Australia current, Baily current, Barbisio Italy Vintage, Biltmore current, Cavanagh vintage, Cervo taly current, Disney vintage, Dobbs current & vintage, Golden Gate new, Knox vintage, Lagomarsino vintage, Lee vintage, Look & Johnson vintage, Mac Lachlan vintage, Mallory vintage, Optimo current, Peters Brothers current, Resistol current? & vintage, Scala current, Stetson current & vintage, Willoughby vintage. Research will turn up others I am sure.

Tie ins are: that there is a resurgence in Men’s style for things of an earlier era, you see it in re-enactment groups, swing dance ,jazz an other aspects of life. There are people that look for vintage clothes of the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and on. Vintage hungry enthusiasts will buy old clothes that don’t fit them or are in poor condition as construction reference, where a good tailor takes apart a suit or jacket, vest, pants to copy the aspects and elements of the clothes so the tailor may recreate it in their size. People are searching for the elegance of that age that they cannot find in much of today’s clothes. The details must be right to satisfy the collectors. Check on line to see that there are Zoot suit manufacturer’s cranking them out for people that want these old styles. The fedora is part of this desire and could easily be the focus of a great tome, perhaps part of a series on the elements of style for a particular decade.

With warmest regards,



John C. Erickson
Covina, CA

 

[tonyb]

Can't say that I know much about the book business, but I have worked in weekly newspapers several years and my current partners and I enjoy the advice of a retired book publisher, so I suppose I know enough to be dangerous.
Literally tons of books are printed daily, and most of them will never sell enough to make their publication a financially worthwhile endeavor for all involved. It's not that the effort is wasted, necessarily. Some books are of such a special interest that they were never meant to reach a large audience. Some are labors of love. And some (most, maybe) are a waste of perfectly good trees.
A popular book can be written on any subject, though, provided it connects with the "average" reader. Hats are of esoteric interest, so to gather a wide audience (and make a few bucks) the writer would have to tell his hat story in a way that compels people who never knew they cared about hats. I haven't read "Hatless Jack" yet, but from what I've heard, it seems that it tells a sort of social history as reflected in the rise and fall of the fedora. I'm reminded of "Seabiscuit." Haven't seen the movie, but I read the book a couple of years ago. The writer--Laura Hillenbrand, I believe her name is--is well-versed in thoroughbred racing. She wrote for horse-racing magazines and such for a number of years, so she knew her stuff long before she started on the book. "Seabiscuit" certainly was an education in the ways of the track, especially for those of us who don't know much about them, but it was mostly a story about several human characters and one equine one who figured large in their era and helped define it.
This is not to say that a book aimed only at hat fanciers wouldn't be a worthy effort. Some great books never see wide circulation. Several years ago I wrote a newspaper story about an upcoming old-house tour and lecture series. I interviewed and went on a walking tour with a young woman, a Ph.D candidate in architectural history, who could tell, just by looking at an old house, when it was built, who likely built it, who designed it, etc. A few days ago I stopped by a friend's bookstore. On a shelf I saw a book devoted to old houses in Seattle, written by the very woman I interviewed all those years before. My friend the bookseller said the book, which sells for $39.95, sold quite well over the holiday season. A few minutes paging through it told me why. It's a darn good book--well-written and loaded with information and fascinating old photos. No one will ever make a million bucks on that book because it is of such a specific interest. But I bet it made its publisher's investment back, and then some. It will grace coffee tables throughout the region for decades to come, and leave its lucky readers knowing more than they did while still entertaining them. I'd call that a success.

 

[mthatter]

erased by mt

 

[Brad Bowers]

Brad,

Check out the September 1946, vol. 75, no.2 Hat Life. There is a good article on welted edges.

John
RM Hat Co.

John,

Thanks for the tip! I'll look for it.

Brad

 

[brienlee]

Hat History- DVD

I produce videos, dvds and documentaries for a living. My father worked at and ran the Cavanagh Hats division of HCA during the 50's and 60's; his parents worked at the Hat Corp plant in Norwalk during the factory's heyday earlier in the century.

I have been investigating doing a documentary exploring the ups and downs of the industry; the hat culture at it's height; the art of hatmaking and the art of marketing and selling hats (again, in the heyday, for instance, during the glory of the Cavanagh store on Park Avenue).

So far, I have found that its hard to trace a lot of history because of the number of times assets and companies changed hands. Certainly, some people have done a good job of investigating the craft (Debbie Henderson's excellent books); I want to look deeper into the business culture and the impact the businesses had on the communities in which they were made. I have some ads, papers, pictures and posters from my father's papers, but he was not an owner so didn't have any of the corporate papers. I'd like to trace down anyone with knowledge or insight into this great culture and history.

I have to produce corporate videos to make a living so I haven't spent a great deal of time on this other than reading, making some phone calls, etc.

Anyway, very open for discussion and input, thoughts, etc.

Brien Lee

 

[besdor]

There are probably dozens of people still living in Danbury and Norwalk Conn that worked in the hat business . I have been to the area before and met some people that are very interested in talking to someone who would listen to them . Most of the workers are old and when they pass on , that's it .
:cool2:

 

[MK]

.

What a confirmation!

I am a magazine publisher for a living. I had already decided that later this year we were going to launch a magazine that encompasses many aspects of The Fedora Lounge. It will be more than just hats though. It will be about classic style. I can't say much about it right now.....but it will be very good for the hat industry. You will be reading a lot more about it soon.

This thread is encouraging.

 

[Brad Bowers]

I want to look deeper into the business culture and the impact the businesses had on the communities in which they were made. I have some ads, papers, pictures and posters from my father's papers, but he was not an owner so didn't have any of the corporate papers. I'd like to trace down anyone with knowledge or insight into this great culture and history.

Welcome, Brien. Your video idea is fantastic! My master's thesis was a business history, so I know how hard it can be to find collections of corporate papers.

I've been thinking about the papers for Cavanagh as well, as I'd like to write an article on the history of the Cavanagh Edge. I'm guessing, though, that with all the many ownership changes, most of the early papers are probably gone, though there is always hope that some historical society or museum has them in their collection. If come across them when I call around, I'll let you know.

Brad

 

[jamespowers]

Brienlee, you are way ahead of the curve if you have a few ads and some records as it is. The early ads are dificult to find and they really did not concentrate on the hats as much as they did selling a high class image that the hats gave you. For example from 1931:

another from the early 30s:

One more:

And this one from 1936 that didn't even show specifics about their offering but it was a keeping up with the Jones kind of ad. Touting quality was more important than anything else. Anything less wouldn't have "Absolute fidelity to correct details in Headwear for every occassion is the ideal...."

Cavanagh set itself up to be THE name brand for those that knew the best hats. Quite frankly they also didn't advertise the price probably because if you had to ask you couldn't afford it. They were not the cost leader.

Regards to all,

J

 

[brienlee]

Besdor, JamesPowers and all

JamesPowers-- Thanks for the ads and the info.

Besdor, if you know of anyone to contact in Norwalk that can tell a good tale, I'll be there ASAP. I need to do enough research to round out an outline to propose the project to whomever might help fund it.

I wish I had more materials-- the advertising back in the 30's through the 50's was plentiful-- at least I have a fair number of magazines I can pull from. I have some old Cavanagh filmstrips as well-- "how to sell" kind of stuff.

I wish I had more of my fathers keepsakes-- he had the "Hats-- as Healthful as they are Handsome" series mounted and hung in our basement rec room.

I do however have dozens of various year's group photos from the annual Traveling Hat Salesman's Association dinner at the Waldorf-- one year, when he was President, he couldn't be there to receive the gavel because-- of course-- he was on the road presenting the new Cavanagh line to the dealers across the country.

Brien Lee