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Historic Costume | Fine and Decorative Arts
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Top Hat
Clothing/Dress/Costume
Man’s beaver fur felt top hat, moderate height, wide brim. Wide brown painted cloth sweat band, tan cardboard lining, the top being an ivory silk self-patterned moire (stripe with floral sprigs) paper (?), and the label printed in black, along with a strip of printed paper bearing the name of Micajah Speakman. The brim has a slight curve at the sides but is overall flat. The crown is a regular cylinder. Narrow black silk grosgrain ribbon hatband with a tiny bow. Hatbox (a) in the shape of the hat, covered with wallpaper of a quasi-baroque architectural pattern in gray and ochre (gold?) on a tan ground (now); blue on outer rim of lid. Lid (b) and box rim lined with pages from a large English Bible, Genesis. The rest lined with plain now-tan paper. No label. Top bears inked inscription: “M Speakman West Nantmeal Chester Co, Pa.” Stubs of brown cotton tape ties on either side of box. Looks like the lid rim was doomed, in being too small to fit over the box rim."
G2008.061.1-2
Bruce and Susan Greene Costume Collection
Adult, Male
Headwear
Historic Costume
Top Hat
Male
Beaver
Fur
felt
Cardboard
moire
Grosgrain
1840 - 1855
User Age: Adult Gender: Male
Makers Mark
Inside Top
"Kimber & Dickinson 19 N. Fourth St. Phila."
English
Stamped
Top
Hat
beaver
Box
Quaker