A Millinery History (History of Hat Making)

Did you know #2

Millinery is the design, manufacture and sale of hats and head-wear. A person engaged in this trade is called a milliner.

A Brief History of Hats:

~ 3200 BC - One of the first pictorial depictions of a hat appears in a Thebes tomb. A painting on the wall shows a man wearing a coolie straw hat.

70 BC - A young Danish chieftain falls into a bog to be in near perfect condition along with his pieced leather and fur cap. This is one of the earliest physical representations of hats that has been found.

50-818 AD - According to legend, St. Clement discovered felt when, as a wondering monk, he filled his sandals with carded wool to protect his feet. The moisture and pressure from walking compressed the fibers into a crude yet comfortable felt. Hatters in Ireland as well as a few other countries have celebrated him as the Patron Saint of Felt Hat Makers.

1529 AD - The word milliner, meaning a maker of hats, was first recorded in reference to the products for which Milan and the Northern Italian regions were well known (i.e. ribbons, gloves and straws). The haberdashers who imported these highly popular straws were called 'Millaners'.

1797 AD - John Hetherington stirs a riot in the streets and earns himself a £500 fine. What did he do, you ask? He wore a top hat! It's great height and shiny silk luster incited terror and panic.

1865 AD - John B. Stetson begins selling his "Boss of the Plains" hat, the same style he originally fashioned around a campfire while on a trip out West.

1875 AD - The first annual Kentucky Derby marks the largest hat fashion event in America.

January 15, 19?? - While the exact year is unknown, January 15 marks the unofficial National Hat Day. Rumor states that this "holiday" was merely started by hat enthusiasts for no other reason then to celebrate their favorite hats!

April 30, 2011 - The Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton marks a new era of women's hats by bringing them back into the spotlight.

Editors Note: For the Full history, check out the source material at Hatbox.com.