The weather’s awful, the news is dire and not much seems right with the world, so here’s something to make you smile….
See? You feel better already, don’t you?
Yes, it’s true. And no, it’s not Paloma Faith or Lady GaGa.
The star in question was the late great Sarah Bernhardt, who appeared in the title role – to much critical acclaim -of the American version of a French play written by Victorien Sardou in 1882. She was a sensation, not only because of her perfectly modulated diction and general physical allure, but also because of a hat she wore as part of her stage costume.
No-one remembers the play any more, but its legacy lives on.
here is an illustration to remind you what a Fedora looks like:
and here’s one we made earlier:
Talking of top hats, you probably know that Abraham Lincoln wore an extremely tall one, known as a stovepipe. And here is a picture of his actual hat………..
What you may not know, however, is that he used it to store stuff in – letters, notes, bills etc.
Strange, but true………
James Heatherington, the inventor of the top hat, introduced his design to the world in London during 1797.
Upon leaving the shop wearing his unusual headwear he was surrounded by a crowd of onlookers where some pushing and shoving ensued, resulting in women fainting and a young boy having his arm broken.
As a result of this, Heatherington was arrested, summoned to appear in court, and fined £50 for going about in a manner “calculated to frighten timid people.”
Within a month, he was of course overwhelmed with orders for the new design.
Class distinction being what it is, only the less informed still call it a top hat. The middle classes referred to as a ’silk hat’. A gentleman always asked for a ‘topper’.
This fascinating fact found on http://www.funfacts.com.au. Would you believe it!
READ THIS & BE AMAZED!
“Between 1784 and 1811, the British Government levied a tax on the sale of hats. A graduated scale existed, ranging from 3d (on hats costing less than 4s) to 2s ( for hats costing more than 12s) Purveyors of hats were obliged to purchase a Licence (£2 in London, 5s outside), and to display a sign proclaiming them a Dealer in Hats by Retail. To enforce this tax, duty-stamps were printed which had to be pasted into the lining of every hat. Evasion of the Hat Tax, by retailer or hat-wearer, was punishable by a fine; forgery of hat-duty stamps was ultimately punishable by death” (my italics)
from the excellent “Schott’s Original Miscellany”, (by Ben Schott, Bloomsbury Press)
Just don’t tell the Coalition boys, it could give them ideas which would definitely NOT be in H’Atelier’s best interests….
There is a group on Facebook with the truly silly but irresistable title “We Are Wearing A Hat In Our Facebook Photo, Or Admire People Who Do”. If you have an idle few minutes and would like to be genuinely amused, go to this page and have a look at the Discussion Board . Highly recommended as a most agreeable way to waste some time ……
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