Mob Hat

 A Mob hat or cap was worn by Georgian women of any status. 

Its also called a Mop cap which is probably due to a subtle change its use from a frilly bonnet to a hat used by victorian maids who mopped the floor.

This style of hat is mainly associated today with Victorian maids and would normally be white.

Basically, a round cloth gathered with a ribbon or string to give a ruffle brim and covering.

Designed to keep the hair under control, modern plastic and net variants are used in clean environments such as food factories for the same reason.

These caps or a version of them were worn by men at least in the early 18th century but were predominantly women headwear.

Leather Tricorn

This leather tricorn was a Christmas gift from friends Rich & Amy, but due to the crazy covid 2020, I've not had a chance to use it yet.

This is one of those quality hats, solid and robust that I try to avoid buying myself, any hat that cost me more £25 new or second hand I rarely buy, so this was a brilliant gift that I hope gets plenty of use.

Most 18th century tricorns were probably made of wool felt, but for the less gentlemanly person leather was a good substitute and would make a more practical hat, especially for a pirate.

This particular hat is quite heavy for fashion hat, the leather is thick, it would make a good safety hat or helmet which is no bad thing.

I can't wait to use this hat, role on next year and normality at some point.

Decorated Tricorn

 This tricorn is decorated quite modestly compared to some.

The badge has a medal like an appearance, so it feels like it could be used by some militia or perhaps an officer, not a tricorn for a pirate.

The badge was poorly attached and the ribbon not at all when I got it from a market, so had to sew it back together. 

2 Sided Tricorn

This tricorn is 3 pointed but only has 2 of sides folded up

A nice black felt basic tricorn fit for anyone from the end of 17th but mainly 18th Century

Tricorn is actually a more modern name for the hat established in the mid 19th Century, in the 18th Century they were more often called cocked hats or 3 cornered hats or maybe just hats

 The tricorn is always worn with one of the corners pointing forward, although musket men did shift the point over one eye to help with firing their guns.

Green Kepi

This Kepi came out of the £5 box of a trader trying to get shut of old stock

Green Kepi like the blue seems to have been used by the Union army in the American Civil War.

 My quick bit of research says green was associated with units of sharpshooters or foragers.

Looking at photos online its seems to be a reasonable reproduction of the original caps.

One Hat Many Styles

From a basic wide brimmed felt hat you can change its look into many other styles. 

The photos below are all the same £5 felt hats from Primark, all created with quick stitch, you can cut and decorate to make many more better looks. 

Below the basic black felt hat as you buy it.

Below a Bicorn

Below a Tricorn

Below almost a Quadricorn, it needed a wider brim really, but 4 points were almost achieved.

Below a Yokel Hat

PS these were all purchased for £1 at the end of the season by my friend Dave who the master of spotting a bargain.

A Hat for a Character.

This post is not about a tricorn but about a much loved hat.

If any hat qualifies as well worn, this one does, worn over many weekends for last 15 years.

I will say this hat is extremely comfortable.

This is good quality felt tricorn and cost a £ 80 quid or more back when purchase at the end of the last century.

Its been through many fights, been trod on, crushed in the back of car, survived horrendous rainstorms, snow and regularly deals with sand and sweat, its loosing its shape a bit, the crown as lost its stiffness but survives.

The photo above is fairly current taken about 5 months ago, as you can see its not in too a bad condition, the hat not me that is.

 I think its doing so well, simply because it was quality hat to start with.

The early years of the hat it had a black band as above.

I later added a purple band and emblem as the character it belongs to costume mutated as below

Union Army Cap

Union Soldiers Kepi, also called a McClellan Cap according to the Wikipedia

This hat has a square leather peak and sunken round top.

This hat was a present brought back by my Mum from the gift shop in the Abraham Lincoln Museum, when she visited Illinois in America a few weeks ago. 

The hats is not a bad quality reproduction apart from the plastic badge on the front. 

Chapeau-bras

Chapeau-bras is usually a bicorne but one that will collapse flat.

They were worn as part of 18th Century ceremonial, diplomatic, or naval dress, currently thinking of Admiral Nelson and Napolean Bonaparte.

It basic starting point is a wide brimmed hat with two opposing parts of the brim tied together.

This bicorne (bicorn works as a spelling as well) is at the cheap end of the spectrum, they get much more elaborate with feathers, emblems and gold and silver lace trim, often referred to as cocked hat once they get plumage or fancier. 

This was purchased at the Tewkesbury Medieval Battle Fair in 2013 according to the photo below

I also have none collapsing bicorne which I wear more often.

I have found a photo of someone else wearing it points front to back (fore and aft) in the photo below rather than side to side (athwart or port to starboard) as in photos of me above.