This Shako hat is another theatrical hat
A Shako is a tall cylindrical military hat with a visor, the cylinder can be parallel or tapered in or out at the top.
They are usually decorated with plumes and a plate or badge on the front of the cylinder.
The Shako was popular in the 19th Century, initially, it was a practical improvement on the military hats of the time offering a little bit of protection, but by the end of the Napoleonic wars, it became a showy parade ground hat.
In the UK a stovepipe version of the hat was first worn by military units from around 1799 but by the mid 1820's it's importance to show off the unit took over from its practicality, attempts were made in the mid-century to return it to practical use, but by 1870 it was no longer considered for actual battlefield use at all and in the UK by 1905 it was no longer worn by units for any use.
Some countries continue to use Shako for their showy military parades even today.
This hat comes from a theatrical production and is not a reproduction of an actual Shako worn by soldiers.
