Artifact: Tricorne Hat
Materials: Beaver Fur
Dimensions: 5 3/8 x 13 1/2 x 13 1/4 in.
Date: c. 1780
Origin: Europe or United States
Collection: LACMA
License: Public Domain
Ledger Entry: Mens Fine Hat
Department: Outerwear
Customer: Gershom Keyes
Ledger Page: 287
Imported From: Most of the clothing accessories sold in the Ramsay store would have been imported from England.
Product Description
Courtesy and custom dictated that both women and men either wear or carry hats when outdoors. While they did serve the practical functions of warmth and protection from the elements, they were also expressions of fashion, status, and wealth. The elaborate wigs that men of fashion wore often made it difficult to wear their hats, so they were often carried instead. The fashion of cocked hats, such as the tricorn developed to facilitate carrying ones hat under his arm. Mens hats were typically made of felted beaver, wool, or camel.
Citation: Accessed February 26, 2017. https://www.history.org/history/clothing/men/mglossary.cfm;
Historical Price: 22 shillings; Modern USD: $247
Product Variations
The databases record fifty purchases of hats for men, women, and boys. When noted, the materials are most often felt, although two furred hats were sold as well. The prices range from eleven pence for a felt hat to twenty-two shillings for a man's fine hat.
