Where I live (Denmark) the bowler hat is traditionally associated with butchers, and not bankers. In fact, when a butcher completes his/her apprenticeship, they get a bowler hat :)
In the United States, the bowler hat was associated with working men in general. In addition to butchers, brewers, teamsters, boatmen, barkeepers, bricklayers, and the like used to wear bowlers. This was true until probably the 1930s or 1940s. Now, the same class of people tend to wear baseball caps or their cheaper variant, “gimme” caps (except when wearing safety gear like “hard hats” on the job). In my grandparents’ time, only baseball players and children wore baseball caps.
John Henry Bonham, the drummer for the UK rock band Led Zeppelin, wore a bowler hat. When Led Zeppelin was honored at the Kennedy Center, the band (including John's son Jason on drums) allvwore bowlers, including the choir. The mark of an English gentleman. Thank you HG.
@@rosyclaire Actually it's a mercury compound that's used to treat the fibers before felting (don't ask what they used to use). Early photographers using the Daguerreotype process also suffered from mercury poisoning. The image is "developed" with mercury fumes over a heated pan of the metal.
Dentists and their assistants also used to get mercury poisoning, from the fumes of the material for amalgam (“silver”) fillings, which are composed largely of mercury. I had a discussion about this with my dentist just the other day. Interestingly, pure elemental mercury is not absorbed by the body, but mercury compounds are and are toxic.
The people back then not having knowledge of chemicals and their compounds really left them open to so many problems. Saw a show where they interviewed a musician who played an instrument named a glass armonica for Linda Ronstadt. He doesn't play it often, and has periodic blood tests for lead poisoning. The instrument was invented in the middle ages, but was eventually banned because people began to believe that the sound it created was driving people crazy. The discs are made of crystal glass, and the people playing it we're getting lead poisoning from their fingers being in contact with the glass discs. Makes one wonder how many other stories like this is out there! Maybe that would be a good subject for the History Guy!
As was I. "always keep your bowler on in times of stress and keep a watch out for those diabolical masterminds" said by Mrs Emma Peel as she was leaving Steed to be with her husband who had returned after he was missing from an adventure.
i have a bowler and i love it i where it everywhere. it is literally my biggest conversation starter, and now i have more info to share in those conversations. thank you Mr. H. Guy .
Aircrew members of the 492 Fighter Squadron (US Air Force, based at RAF Lakenheath UK) have been called “Bowlers” since the squadron moved to England in the 1960s. Pilots and Weapon Systems Officers (WSOs) proudly wear the traditional British head-ware to Squadron events and gatherings. I’ve treasured mine since 1986, when I purchased it at a tag sale. Judging from the folded newspaper I found under the sweat band, it was made sometime prior to 1936.
As you are no doubt aware THG, we Englishmen who live south of Watford wear our Bowlers at all times when outdoors. Those who live north of Watford wear a flat cap at all times, regardless of weather inside or out.
I am now 67. One of my earliest memories ((c) 1955) was visiting London, by train, which i did periodically, as that was where my grandparents lived. My three burning memories of arriving in London are: (i) the enormous banks of pay phones in the station entrance; (ii) that all of these phones were in use, by men , not women; (iii) that all of these men carried umbrellas and wore bowlers. I recall that continued well into the 1960's or 70's.
Hard rock miners digging the tunnels for the transcontinental railroad dipped bowler hats in tar and then put a larger one over it to form rock proof hard hats
In the shipyards on the Clyde in Scotland in the late 1800s / early 1900s the foremen wore bowler hats as a badge of office and to give some protection from dropped rivets (some accidental and other deliberate for docking someone's wages etc) so it seems the hat found its way into all walks of life again very enjoyable :>)
Hats are awesome! Each one has a 'message' and 'attitude' to it. Friendly, hostile, daring, brave, in your face, etc. I have a substantial number of hats to wear on the days I feel like the hat!
I'm glad someone pointed out this oversight! To have mentioned Stan & Ollie, Bud & Lou, & not Curly Howard is a travesty! No one could make me belly laugh like Curly and his DOYbee!
@Gary Daniel You still haven't said why. You've merely repeated your assertion that it's "disrespectful" with no explanation as to why. As you've noted some flags do get used in all manner of ways, particularly for clothing, and including underwear. I can possibly understand that some people might find flag prints on underwear disrespectful, but beyond that I don't see any issue.
@Gary Daniel - I'm British and it's fine. Nowt wrong with it. The union Jack is not a precious thing to any other British people I know. More like a brand kind of thing. The bow tie is good.
@@mushypeasplease8872 Seems Gary has no idea what he thinks. Maybe he's under the influence, or perhaps he's just not particularly bright. He doesn't seem to have any idea about what "respect" actually means, and he's very easily triggered - ask him a simple question and he responds with an insult - a huge loss to the Diplomatic Corps.
One of my favorite scenes is from a Three Stooges short...in a courtroom a bailiff instructs Curly to "take off that hat!", when he is on the witness stand. Curly replies..."its not a hat, its a derby!"
Actually, the scene is where Curly is asked to give a testimony but starts rambling on in slang and uncouth jargon. The Bailiff then tells to “drop the vernacular!” THEN Curly retorts, “It’s a Derby!”
Dear HG....As it goes, I am not a clothes horse, HOWEVER....I cannot describe the feeling I had when appearing on-deck at my first formal night aboard ship, in my own tuxedo....As I walked around the deck, I could see in the eyes of the men around me, dressed in their own suits, or some less-than-committed attempt at formality, a look I had often had, but never realized I had....Envy! Then, the piece-de-resistance....(pardon my French)....I purchased and wore a formal “Morning Suit” ala “My Fair Lady”, complete with Top Hat 🎩, at a function....Fun, fun, fun....Hats....a piece of clothing that has degraded to the “ball cap” and all of the conformity that it implies....This was a “fun” presentation, very historically informative and entertaining at the same time....Makes me glad I’m a patron.....Bless you and Mrs. HG
Fascinating - thanks. I live fairly close to a village called Modbury near Plymouth, England. Modbury is the village from which Robert Stetson and his wife emigrated to Plymouth county, Massachusetts in 1640. The Stetson family has helped to support the church in Modbury and so have maintained their connection with the village.
I have a great love of early cinema, especially the comedians, and watching silent films with Chaplin or Laurel and Hardy not only filled my funny bone for years to come but also gave me a great appreciation of the bowler or derby as I knew it then. Thank you for another wonderful episode and don’t forget a gentleman always keeps his head covered.
I had a whim to revisit this video and I saw that it was uploaded to UA-cam ~5 years ago already. I remember watching it when it was first released and I have to say that I can’t believe I’ve been watching this channel for that long already!
I have a vintage Bowler made by Tomson & Hubbard of Boston that I wear at black powder cartridge rifle compitions. It cool to learn how popular this hat was. Thank you for producing such addicting content.
I was looking at historical photographs of Last Chance Gulch, Helena, Montana in the late 1890s. I was hard pressed to find a wide brim hat on the many men loading wagons, standing in front of bars and stores and walking down thee street of the mining district. Pretty much everyone on the street had a bowler on. Thanks for the story, have a good day.
BTW, true fact, just like the word "clerk" is pronounced "Clark" in the UK, the word "derby" is pronounced "Darby" on the other side of the pond. Something I've been told all my life. In fact my ancestry proves it. They changed the spelling to match the pronunciation when we came to America in the early 1800's.
True of many an immigrant coming over, especially thru Ellis Island, that the spelling was changed to reflect the pronunciation. With all the different languages the documenters were faced with, you can imagine it was much quicker to just write the name phonetically. Some immigrants even changed their own names, in order to fit in better, or because their names were just too complicated for an English speaking society. Makes sense for those from countries who didn't speak English, but seems odd that it would also happen with English names, when they simply could've asked for the original spelling. That happened with my mother's British maiden name, and my father's Scottish last name as well. (Not shared for security reasons.) Although not all who bear those sir names had the spelling altered, and some names from the same origin wound up with a number of different spellings. This is true of even the simplest sir names. Many Americans don't even realize they are related because the spelling of their sir name is so varied from the original. It never occured to me that Derby, and Darby would be the same name, but now that you mention it, that makes sense. Thanks for sharing that interesting fact. You'll have to make a Derby, part of your wardrobe now. How fun!
Sees title: "That's silly, what could I possibly want to know about Bowler hats?" *Buys Bowler hat* Wearing Bowler hat: "I hope he does more fashion hat videos!"
I had a bowler exactly the same as that, unfortunately while on leave in Biloxi beach, MS I was hit from behind with a board in an aggressive debate and forgot to look for the hat afterwards before going to get my jaw reassembled.
@@b1laxson through surprise practice and experience, I have figured out that I can take a catastrophic injury and if still conscious and mobile-ish, I have 5-15 minutes before WTFDone sets in. Besides 2 crackheads brought a stick to rob a uniformed Army Ranger, at that point, openly carrying a. 45 auto. I didn't kill them motionless and drove into the closest Government owned object I could find while passing out.
Thank you for illustrating something that was in common view and never noticed. I like vintage photos and movies since it is like a time machine. Now you have given me something to look for in them.
Brilliant! How wonderfuly fun! I've been trying to get the hubby to change from a fedora to a bowler for years. He does love hats. Thank you for sharing a part of your day with us!
The history that i know was not just forgotten it was covered up. As one of the worst lost of life in ww2. If you want to know about this history you have to look at Britain and the USA. My family probably didn't even know of there lost love one my uncle for six months. I do believe this is history that needs to be told.
You do a great Laurel impersonation the way your bowler fit lol. When I was a kid my grandfather called bowler's "city hats" & every time we went into the city from the ranch he wore, you guessed it, his clean & recently brushed bowler hat.
Being something of a "hat guy" myself, l thoroughly enjoyed the history of the iconic bowler hat. I had one made by Stetson which still had the price tag on the inside of the hatband - $5.00 !
Excellent coverage of this hat! I’d like to add that, in use by women of Bolivia, it is most customary in the department of La Paz. Other departments had different customary hats more or less imposed...
@Stephen Morton When I was a Kid my Parents were called Ma and Pa Kettle We were the Kettle Kids. Grew up on a farm 15 Kids and then there were The Grand Kids. It was a Horse Stud My Dad was a Trainer. Lots Of Fun. Dad was Just Like Pa and Mum Was Just Like Ma. ;0) He even wore a Hat a Fedora worn out at The Top because he allways said Morning Or Evening and Tiped his hat.
A fond mention of the bowler's cranium saving from actual lead pipe muggings was stumbled across in a police report cited in a history article of New York City. The bowlers of that time, 1890 or so were akin to construction helmets in protection. The felt was thick, about a 1/4 of an inch, 6mm, thick and stiff. The lead pipe used in mugging was of actual lead, soft and malleable, and noiseless, not stiff and ridgid and clanky as is steel and galvanized steel pipe. My mother's father played marbles with Calvin Coolidge as a grown man on convention visiting the White House and Calvin as President residing in on the ground outside the White House. But they were probably wearing boaters, not bowlers, by then. Thank you History Guy.
I remember the days when in the mornings on London's Waterloo station, it was a sea of bowler hats, with of course the obligatory briefcase and umbrella.
Where I was born, Denton in Manchester, use to be one of the largest area's for hat manufacturing in England, there were 3 pubs called The Jolly Hatter due to the mercury used in their production. These factories went back to the 1700's, unfortunately only one exists now (use to be over 12) but just down the road in Stockport there exists the Hat Museum, also based in one of the old mills.
My grandfather wore bowlers. He was always immaculately dressed. I remember my uncles all saying it was one of the few things they always wanted to inherit from him.
Thank you - I just got my bowler from Mikes Custom Hatters in Longview Texas, and though it cost a pretty penny, it is a very good hat. I intend to wear it in the Western tradition, especially since I am just starting with Cowboy Action Shooting, with the Single Action Shooting Society. It won't be traditional B-Movie Western, but as a born and raised child of the American Southwest, it IS in my history as a hat of the Old West.
Very cool! This is the kind of stuff I love this channel for. Little things that tie together so many big things and hearing all the fun facts about it and the people involved. Thank you!
Thank you for an excellent history of the Bowler hat. Truly fascinating because I love hats. How about the history of the fedora too? I still enjoy wearing my fedora almost daily.
An interesting thing about the stereotypical "Cowboy hat" is that the original design, the "Boss of the Plains", actually bears a passing resemblance to the Bowler. It had a higher top for better insulation value; a wider brim for better protection from sun, rain, and snow; and was slightly less rounded at the top. The stereotypical quirks of the design, such as the creases, were not only not actually found in a new hat at all, but in some cases could be used to determine where someone worked, as they commonly were a by-product of how the wearer handled the hat in question.
I own a number of hats, though nothing like the extensive collection of the History Guy.. Now, having watched this superb video, I wish to purchase a bowler hat.
In one of R. Austin Freeman's Dr. Thorndyke stories we are told that high-quality bowler hats are made from the underfur of hares or rabbits, held together and hardened by shellac. Hats made of sheep's wool stuck together with animal fat must have been for the proles.
Since my pate took on a barer status, I've been wearing hats as more necessity than style. Canvas bucket hats in the summer and wide brimmed wool crushers are more my cup o' tea. Bowlers may just creep in to my collection now. We'll see what my wife says, though lol Robert DuVal's Gus McCrae said famously to William Sanderson's character in Lonesome Dove that he had reservations about letting someone accompany him on a cattle drive with a "chamberpot on his head", referring to the derby his character wore. Great little history lesson on the humble beginnings of this diehard bit of haberdashery.
At 2:09 the gentlemen that is pictured smoking a cigar is Isambard Kingdom Brunnel, who engineered the British railroad system as well as designing many of Englands bridges and steam powered ships most notably the Great Britain and the Great Eastern.
Never thought I was going to like this video when I clicked on it. Pleasant surprise. Had no idea there was that much to the subject. It really was a big deal in it's time.
It might be interesting to note that in the late nineteen forties, Samuel Beckett began writing his plays, first in French and then in English. The play was originally written as "En Attendant Godot," and then translated as "Waiting for Godot." I think most people who learn a second or third language have experienced, writing in a new language tends to make your work more essential. This might have been Beckett's goal. But, it might be that his work with the French resistance gave his second language an emotional weight that he found useful in his creative efforts.
Thanks History Guy, that was a comprehensive and thoroughly interesting hat story. The photo of the top hats was a beauty too - you probably knew, but it included the brilliant engineer, I.K. Brunel.
I sometimes joke that there are people who can make reading the back of a cereal box interesting...The History Guy could make the history of the cereal box interesting...
Wonderful! Great presentation. I would request that you address the other men's accessory that is thousands of years old: the walking stick, and its progeny, the umbrella. These need to come back into fashion again.
Great video. I partly grew up in Texas but my family is from Northern Ireland where the orange is and I have marched in it. I never knew the history until now.
Where I live (Denmark) the bowler hat is traditionally associated with butchers, and not bankers. In fact, when a butcher completes his/her apprenticeship, they get a bowler hat :)
In the United States, the bowler hat was associated with working men in general. In addition to butchers, brewers, teamsters, boatmen, barkeepers, bricklayers, and the like used to wear bowlers. This was true until probably the 1930s or 1940s. Now, the same class of people tend to wear baseball caps or their cheaper variant, “gimme” caps (except when wearing safety gear like “hard hats” on the job). In my grandparents’ time, only baseball players and children wore baseball caps.
That's interesting as, in the UK, butchers were associated with the straw boater.
They seem to be associated with many different things depending on locale/culture, as witnessed by their adoption as women's wear in Bolivia.
lukkachi I’m getting one when i finish my apprenticeship : )
@@censusgary don't forget the newsboy type cloth cap.
I recently bought a bowler as a winter hat. Been wearing it every day. Really really underrated hat that goes hard with a good jacket and boots.
The only weaponized bowler hat in the history of popular culture belongs to Oddjob from Goldfinger.
Did you forget about the Adam West Batman villain Mad Hatter!
I forgot about Oddjob.
packed full with Amatol, RDX and /or TNT they become a shaped charge !
@@obelic71 LoL!
H.H. Holmes
John Henry Bonham, the drummer for the UK rock band Led Zeppelin, wore a bowler hat. When Led Zeppelin was honored at the Kennedy Center, the band (including John's son Jason on drums) allvwore bowlers, including the choir. The mark of an English gentleman. Thank you HG.
I didn't know that! Very cool
Thanks for the "mad as a hatter"-explanation.
It refers to the glue which was used in many stages of hat and shoe making.
@@rosyclaire Actually it's a mercury compound that's used to treat the fibers before felting (don't ask what they used to use). Early photographers using the Daguerreotype process also suffered from mercury poisoning. The image is "developed" with mercury fumes over a heated pan of the metal.
Dentists and their assistants also used to get mercury poisoning, from the fumes of the material for amalgam (“silver”) fillings, which are composed largely of mercury. I had a discussion about this with my dentist just the other day. Interestingly, pure elemental mercury is not absorbed by the body, but mercury compounds are and are toxic.
The people back then not having knowledge of chemicals and their compounds really left them open to so many problems. Saw a show where they interviewed a musician who played an instrument named a glass armonica for Linda Ronstadt. He doesn't play it often, and has periodic blood tests for lead poisoning. The instrument was invented in the middle ages, but was eventually banned because people began to believe that the sound it created was driving people crazy. The discs are made of crystal glass, and the people playing it we're getting lead poisoning from their fingers being in contact with the glass discs. Makes one wonder how many other stories like this is out there! Maybe that would be a good subject for the History Guy!
So happy to see a reference to John Steed/Patrick Macnee in The Avengers here. His hid a metal interior by the way!
As was I. "always keep your bowler on in times of stress and keep a watch out for those diabolical masterminds" said by Mrs Emma Peel as she was leaving Steed to be with her husband who had returned after he was missing from an adventure.
Do you suppose THG has a collection of umbrellas?
I always think of Odd Job in the James Bond movie.
i have a bowler and i love it i where it everywhere. it is literally my biggest conversation starter, and now i have more info to share in those conversations. thank you Mr. H. Guy .
Wear
Aircrew members of the 492 Fighter Squadron (US Air Force, based at RAF Lakenheath UK) have been called “Bowlers” since the squadron moved to England in the 1960s. Pilots and Weapon Systems Officers (WSOs) proudly wear the traditional British head-ware to Squadron events and gatherings. I’ve treasured mine since 1986, when I purchased it at a tag sale. Judging from the folded newspaper I found under the sweat band, it was made sometime prior to 1936.
I own a Stetson made fedora, wear it daily and have for last 30 years or so. Goo story, thanks from Oregon.
Some guy during the darkest hour of a certain island nation country led his people in a bowler.
And an ever present cigar...
WINSTON FAVOURED A HOMBURG HAT..
And a fifth of scotch.
And a bumbershoot.
Really? I hope he got a statue. .
Julius Carry played the character Lord Bowler whom wore a Bowler on the Western sitcom "The Adventures of Brisco County Jr."
❤❤❤
Long live Lord Bowler!
As you are no doubt aware THG, we Englishmen who live south of Watford wear our Bowlers at all times when outdoors. Those who live north of Watford wear a flat cap at all times, regardless of weather inside or out.
Your presentations are so Fantastic that a video of a hat holds my attention for 10 minutes!
All history is important! Thank you!
🤗☕
Well put.
Very true.
I am now 67. One of my earliest memories ((c) 1955) was visiting London, by train, which i did periodically, as that was where my grandparents lived. My three burning memories of arriving in London are: (i) the enormous banks of pay phones in the station entrance; (ii) that all of these phones were in use, by men , not women; (iii) that all of these men carried umbrellas and wore bowlers. I recall that continued well into the 1960's or 70's.
Hard rock miners digging the tunnels for the transcontinental railroad dipped bowler hats in tar and then put a larger one over it to form rock proof hard hats
Aha! I spotted Isenbard Kingdom Brunel, sporting his sporty tophat!
I hear he engineered things very well!
In the shipyards on the Clyde in Scotland in the late 1800s / early 1900s the foremen wore bowler hats as a badge of office and to give some protection from dropped rivets (some accidental and other deliberate for docking someone's wages etc) so it seems the hat found its way into all walks of life again very enjoyable :>)
Pierce Brosnans remake of “The Thomas Crown Affair” had a big play on the Bowler hat around the theme of an art theft
Hats are awesome! Each one has a 'message' and 'attitude' to it. Friendly, hostile, daring, brave, in your face, etc. I have a substantial number of hats to wear on the days I feel like the hat!
Don't forget the surreal artist Rene Magritte made several iconic paintings that featured the bowler hat, such as his famous "Son of Man".
THANKS for finally explaining why Loyalists in Northern Ireland wear bowlers. It's puzzled me for years. Learned something new today!
As someone who owns three Bowler hats i cant help but approve :)
I two own a bowler.
@@adamtarbaux7769 *too
@@the_original_Bilb_Ono whoops my bad.
I own three as well, and I love them. I plan to buy several more. Have two blacks and a brown; want at least a blue, a green and a red.
1 Stetson here!
"Vernacular!? That's a derby!"
-Curly Howard
And of course his machine gun impression.
Doiby
I'm glad someone pointed out this oversight! To have mentioned Stan & Ollie, Bud & Lou, & not Curly Howard is a travesty! No one could make me belly laugh like Curly and his DOYbee!
Did anybody else notice his Union Jack bowtie?
@Gary Daniel Regardless of nationality, How on earth is it disrespectful? I'm sure most thought it was a nice touch.
@Gary Daniel Why on Earth is it "disrespectful", and to whom?
@Gary Daniel You still haven't said why.
You've merely repeated your assertion that it's "disrespectful" with no explanation as to why.
As you've noted some flags do get used in all manner of ways, particularly for clothing, and including underwear.
I can possibly understand that some people might find flag prints on underwear disrespectful, but beyond that I don't see any issue.
@Gary Daniel - I'm British and it's fine. Nowt wrong with it. The union Jack is not a precious thing to any other British people I know. More like a brand kind of thing. The bow tie is good.
@@mushypeasplease8872 Seems Gary has no idea what he thinks.
Maybe he's under the influence, or perhaps he's just not particularly bright.
He doesn't seem to have any idea about what "respect" actually means, and he's very easily triggered - ask him a simple question and he responds with an insult - a huge loss to the Diplomatic Corps.
One of my favorite scenes is from a Three Stooges short...in a courtroom a bailiff instructs Curly to "take off that hat!", when he is on the witness stand. Curly replies..."its not a hat, its a derby!"
Actually, the scene is where Curly is asked to give a testimony but starts rambling on in slang and uncouth jargon. The Bailiff then tells to “drop the vernacular!”
THEN Curly retorts, “It’s a Derby!”
Correct or should I say “soiently”
Dear HG....As it goes, I am not a clothes horse, HOWEVER....I cannot describe the feeling I had when appearing on-deck at my first formal night aboard ship, in my own tuxedo....As I walked around the deck, I could see in the eyes of the men around me, dressed in their own suits, or some less-than-committed attempt at formality, a look I had often had, but never realized I had....Envy! Then, the piece-de-resistance....(pardon my French)....I purchased and wore a formal “Morning Suit” ala “My Fair Lady”, complete with Top Hat 🎩, at a function....Fun, fun, fun....Hats....a piece of clothing that has degraded to the “ball cap” and all of the conformity that it implies....This was a “fun” presentation, very historically informative and entertaining at the same time....Makes me glad I’m a patron.....Bless you and Mrs. HG
Fascinating - thanks. I live fairly close to a village called Modbury near Plymouth, England. Modbury is the village from which Robert Stetson and his wife emigrated to Plymouth county, Massachusetts in 1640. The Stetson family has helped to support the church in Modbury and so have maintained their connection with the village.
I have a great love of early cinema, especially the comedians, and watching silent films with Chaplin or Laurel and Hardy not only filled my funny bone for years to come but also gave me a great appreciation of the bowler or derby as I knew it then. Thank you for another wonderful episode and don’t forget a gentleman always keeps his head covered.
I had a whim to revisit this video and I saw that it was uploaded to UA-cam ~5 years ago already. I remember watching it when it was first released and I have to say that I can’t believe I’ve been watching this channel for that long already!
My wife bought me a bowler hat a couple of Christmasses ago, out of desperation! I loved it from the get-go.
I really appreciated this episode! I more deeply appreciate my grandfather's old Stetson bowler and the labels inside it!
It is currently 11pm in Brisbane, Australia. But apparently it isn’t too late for me to be interested in bowler hats. Thanks History Guy
Thank you for your efforts preserving History sir.
I have a vintage Bowler made by Tomson & Hubbard of Boston that I wear at black powder cartridge rifle compitions. It cool to learn how popular this hat was. Thank you for producing such addicting content.
I really wish we'd all go back to wearing hats in public. Hats complete an outfit.
It’s a true classic design , ageless , I have one in perfect condition made for Brooks Brothers still in its original box ... and yes it fits !
WoW! Lucky dog.
I have a brooks brothers hat to
If for no other reason the etymology is great. AND yes , mad and angry are two separate words with separate meanings. Thank you, Sir.
My grandfather was a model for Stetson hats. Somewhere there is a photo of him modeling a top hat in a mirror. Love your videos.
I was looking at historical photographs of Last Chance Gulch, Helena, Montana in the late 1890s. I was hard pressed to find a wide brim hat on the many men loading wagons, standing in front of bars and stores and walking down thee street of the mining district. Pretty much everyone on the street had a bowler on. Thanks for the story, have a good day.
BTW, true fact, just like the word "clerk" is pronounced "Clark" in the UK, the word "derby" is pronounced "Darby" on the other side of the pond. Something I've been told all my life. In fact my ancestry proves it. They changed the spelling to match the pronunciation when we came to America in the early 1800's.
True of many an immigrant coming over, especially thru Ellis Island, that the spelling was changed to reflect the pronunciation.
With all the different languages the documenters were faced with, you can imagine it was much quicker to just write the name phonetically.
Some immigrants even changed their own names, in order to fit in better, or because their names were just too complicated for an English speaking society.
Makes sense for those from countries who didn't speak English, but seems odd that it would also happen with English names, when they simply could've asked for the original spelling.
That happened with my mother's British maiden name, and my father's Scottish last name as well. (Not shared for security reasons.) Although not all who bear those sir names had the spelling altered, and some names from the same origin wound up with a number of different spellings. This is true of even the simplest sir names.
Many Americans don't even realize they are related because the spelling of their sir name is so varied from the original.
It never occured to me that Derby, and Darby would be the same name, but now that you mention it, that makes sense. Thanks for sharing that interesting fact. You'll have to make a Derby, part of your wardrobe now. How fun!
Sees title: "That's silly, what could I possibly want to know about Bowler hats?"
*Buys Bowler hat*
Wearing Bowler hat: "I hope he does more fashion hat videos!"
Fascinating history that I never thought I’d actually care about however now really do. Thank you.
I love my vintage (mid 20th century) bowler hat and wear it often. A classic!
A fascinating story- the bowler is still widely worn in London. 👌👏👏👏👏
When I think of a bowler hat, the first thing that springs to mind is Mr. Thompson and Thomson from the Tintin comics. Quite smashing!
Hats off to you, History Guy, for another stellar presentation.
I had a bowler exactly the same as that, unfortunately while on leave in Biloxi beach, MS I was hit from behind with a board in an aggressive debate and forgot to look for the hat afterwards before going to get my jaw reassembled.
Note that you survived. Praise be the bowler. It probably went off looking to Avengers for you.
@@b1laxson through surprise practice and experience, I have figured out that I can take a catastrophic injury and if still conscious and mobile-ish, I have 5-15 minutes before WTFDone sets in. Besides 2 crackheads brought a stick to rob a uniformed Army Ranger, at that point, openly carrying a. 45 auto. I didn't kill them motionless and drove into the closest Government owned object I could find while passing out.
Thank you for illustrating something that was in common view and never noticed. I like vintage photos and movies since it is like a time machine. Now you have given me something to look for in them.
I love the Union Jack bow tie, goes well with the bowler hat
I have a Stetson, 1917 bowler/derby hat that I'm quite fond of. It's not for daily wear but I enjoy looking dapper on occasion.
Brilliant! How wonderfuly fun! I've been trying to get the hubby to change from a fedora to a bowler for years. He does love hats. Thank you for sharing a part of your day with us!
I've had one now for several years... Love it.
If you don't want history to be forgotten then I have a piece of history to talk about that is dear to my heart.
The history that i know was not just forgotten it was covered up. As one of the worst lost of life in ww2. If you want to know about this history you have to look at Britain and the USA. My family probably didn't even know of there lost love one my uncle for six months. I do believe this is history that needs to be told.
Rocky and Bullwinckle went in search of the , "Kurwood Durby."
I snorted iced tea across the table when you perched that hat on your head! Thankfully no one was in the line of fire.
I quite like the variety with the more upturned sides.
You do a great Laurel impersonation the way your bowler fit lol. When I was a kid my grandfather called bowler's "city hats" & every time we went into the city from the ranch he wore, you guessed it, his clean & recently brushed bowler hat.
I never realized the Bowler was as old as 170 years! Thanks for this unique piece of history.
Was buying a hat box at Lock's in London the day before yesterday. Still selling them.
Being something of a "hat guy" myself, l thoroughly enjoyed the history of the iconic bowler hat. I had one made by Stetson which still had the price tag on the inside of the hatband - $5.00 !
Everyone of your episodes are great. Plus, the way you deliver these snipts, you could make the history of paint drying awesome.
Fabulous edition! For the love of hats, and all things British.
My only complaint is that you didn't include a pic of the adorable Liza Minnelli from Cabaret.
Or the minister for Silly Walks...
So true. So true. She made that hat look sexy. She gave it such a vampy look.
After searching that up I can agree
Excellent coverage of this hat! I’d like to add that, in use by women of Bolivia, it is most customary in the department of La Paz. Other departments had different customary hats more or less imposed...
Pa Kettle had a hat like that Derby ;0)
@Stephen Morton When I was a Kid my Parents were called Ma and Pa Kettle
We were the Kettle Kids. Grew up on a farm 15 Kids and then there were The Grand Kids. It was a Horse Stud My Dad was a Trainer. Lots Of Fun. Dad was Just Like Pa and Mum Was Just Like Ma. ;0) He even wore a Hat a Fedora worn out at The Top because he allways said Morning Or Evening and Tiped his hat.
@@zaphoidbeeblebrox1809 That was a very good series.
Another excellent presentation of history that deserves to be remembered. My hats off to you!
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Fascinating!
Ive an old photo of my grandfather in 1920, a young dude with a bowler worn at a cocky angle .
Veteran of ww one where he was a muleskinner.
A fond mention of the bowler's cranium saving from actual lead pipe muggings was stumbled across in a police report cited in a history article of New York City.
The bowlers of that time, 1890 or so were akin to construction helmets in protection. The felt was thick, about a 1/4 of an inch, 6mm, thick and stiff. The lead pipe used in mugging was of actual lead, soft and malleable, and noiseless, not stiff and ridgid and clanky as is steel and galvanized steel pipe.
My mother's father played marbles with Calvin Coolidge as a grown man on convention visiting the White House and Calvin as President residing in on the ground outside the White House. But they were probably wearing boaters, not bowlers, by then.
Thank you History Guy.
2:15 min. random picture of isambard kingdom brunel!
Awesome! One of the most important people in our history!
It is amazing how the history behind a well known hat, can make a day a great one :)
I remember the days when in the mornings on London's Waterloo station, it was a sea of bowler hats, with of course the obligatory briefcase and umbrella.
Excellent program. Be ordering my bowler hat in just a few minutes. Thank you, Sir.
I woke up a few minutes ago and you made my day already.
after 12 hours, did you have a good day?
@@tomservo5007 No, it was hot.
@@The105ODST well, there's always tomorrow.
Where I was born, Denton in Manchester, use to be one of the largest area's for hat manufacturing in England, there were 3 pubs called The Jolly Hatter due to the mercury used in their production. These factories went back to the 1700's, unfortunately only one exists now (use to be over 12) but just down the road in Stockport there exists the Hat Museum, also based in one of the old mills.
Well, someone has to say it - I was bowled over by this episode:)
My grandfather wore bowlers. He was always immaculately dressed. I remember my uncles all saying it was one of the few things they always wanted to inherit from him.
Thank you! Gives me a new appreciation of the bowler hat.
(Mrs Peel, we're needed.)
Thank you - I just got my bowler from Mikes Custom Hatters in Longview Texas, and though it cost a pretty penny, it is a very good hat. I intend to wear it in the Western tradition, especially since I am just starting with Cowboy Action Shooting, with the Single Action Shooting Society. It won't be traditional B-Movie Western, but as a born and raised child of the American Southwest, it IS in my history as a hat of the Old West.
PG Wodehouse character Jeeves is well know for wearing his Bowler hat.
Very cool! This is the kind of stuff I love this channel for. Little things that tie together so many big things and hearing all the fun facts about it and the people involved. Thank you!
Thank you for an excellent history of the Bowler hat. Truly fascinating because I love hats. How about the history of the fedora too? I still enjoy wearing my fedora almost daily.
An interesting thing about the stereotypical "Cowboy hat" is that the original design, the "Boss of the Plains", actually bears a passing resemblance to the Bowler. It had a higher top for better insulation value; a wider brim for better protection from sun, rain, and snow; and was slightly less rounded at the top. The stereotypical quirks of the design, such as the creases, were not only not actually found in a new hat at all, but in some cases could be used to determine where someone worked, as they commonly were a by-product of how the wearer handled the hat in question.
The Bowler hat is also part of the official uniform of the Kings Guard of Norway
I own a number of hats, though nothing like the extensive collection of the History Guy..
Now, having watched this superb video, I wish to purchase a bowler hat.
Jolly good old bean.
In one of R. Austin Freeman's Dr. Thorndyke stories we are told that high-quality bowler hats are made from the underfur of hares or rabbits, held together and hardened by shellac. Hats made of sheep's wool stuck together with animal fat must have been for the proles.
Since my pate took on a barer status, I've been wearing hats as more necessity than style. Canvas bucket hats in the summer and wide brimmed wool crushers are more my cup o' tea. Bowlers may just creep in to my collection now. We'll see what my wife says, though lol
Robert DuVal's Gus McCrae said famously to William Sanderson's character in Lonesome Dove that he had reservations about letting someone accompany him on a cattle drive with a "chamberpot on his head", referring to the derby his character wore.
Great little history lesson on the humble beginnings of this diehard bit of haberdashery.
Now I would love to hear about the fedora!
At 2:09 the gentlemen that is pictured smoking a cigar is Isambard Kingdom Brunnel, who engineered the British railroad system as well as designing many of Englands bridges and steam powered ships most notably the Great Britain and the Great Eastern.
Never thought I was going to like this video when I clicked on it. Pleasant surprise. Had no idea there was that much to the subject. It really was a big deal in it's time.
It might be interesting to note that in the late nineteen forties, Samuel Beckett began writing his plays, first in French and then in English. The play was originally written as "En Attendant Godot," and then translated as "Waiting for Godot." I think most people who learn a second or third language have experienced, writing in a new language tends to make your work more essential. This might have been Beckett's goal. But, it might be that his work with the French resistance gave his second language an emotional weight that he found useful in his creative efforts.
That was great. I have been looking for a hat that would work for me. Casual yet timeless. Thanks for the great suggestion.
Thanks History Guy, that was a comprehensive and thoroughly interesting hat story. The photo of the top hats was a beauty too - you probably knew, but it included the brilliant engineer, I.K. Brunel.
I'snt their a difference in brim styles between the Bowler and Derby. It seems that the Derby brim is flatter, less curled than the
Bowler.
I'm really sad and surprised that a lot of top hats aren't found around these days. I always wanted a nice old top hat.
The Panama hat has a interesting history, I read about it a long time ago in “Awake “ magazine. Thanks.
I sometimes joke that there are people who can make reading the back of a cereal box interesting...The History Guy could make the history of the cereal box interesting...
William Byrd hear hear
Wonderful! Great presentation. I would request that you address the other men's accessory that is thousands of years old: the walking stick, and its progeny, the umbrella. These need to come back into fashion again.
Great video. I partly grew up in Texas but my family is from Northern Ireland where the orange is and I have marched in it. I never knew the history until now.
Surprised and delighted me with the "Clockwork Orange" mention.