The Pith Helmet is a light weight helmet made of cork (or pith) and then covered in cloth with small holes for ventilation.
Helmets rather than hats in that they are designed to provide physical protection against hard things hitting the head.
I mainly think of these as worn by European gentlemen (and women) explorers but they were more often worn by the government officials, army, police and navy.
Worn in for the most part during the 18th and 19th by people from colonial countries in the tropics, although it seems they were worn as official headgear as late as the 1960's
Also worn by travellers from United States and adopted by the Vietnamese army.
Pith Helmet also know as Safari helmet, Sun helmet, Topee, Sola topee, Salacot or Topi
This one was found in a Army Surplus Store and was possibly (I did say possibly) made post WWII in India from Shola Pith
