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Clothing Accessories
Clothing and Accessories
Men's Clothing
Headwear ➔ Hat
Identifier:
157273Description:
This top hat is made of black silk plush, also known as hatter's plush. It has a black cloth band around the base of the crown and is roughly 14.5 centimeters tall. The silk plush is treated with shellac which helps to waterproof the hat. This hat was made by Dunlap & Company and was sold by Sidney West Incorporated of Washington D.C. There are gold initials that read ABW on the interior crown. The same initials can be seen in the sweatband.Date:
circa 1870 – 1890Materials:
Silk Plush, ClothDimensions:
6"" h 10"" w 12"" dCurrent Location Status:
ConservationCollection Tier:
Tier 2Source:
Gift Of Mrs. Robert L. PierceRelated Entities:
Dunlap and Company (creator)Alternate names: Dunlap, Dunlap & Company
Dunlap & Company was a hat company located in New York City. It was opened by Robert Dunlap in 1857. Robert Dunlap was a previous employee of Knox Hats in New York but when he was refused for a raise, he left to open his own store. The two stores became rivals, with Dunlap & Co. becoming the popular choice, especially for derby hats. In the 1910s, however, both Knox and Dunlap businesses began to decline. In 1918 the two companies merged. Eventually, they were bought out by Byer-Rolnick which was then bought by The Hat Corporation of America. This company became D.J. Caps and was then bought out by Hat Brands, Inc., also known as HATCO. Mrs. Robert L. Pierce (donor) Sidney West Incorporated (sold by)
Sidney West Incorporated was located in Washington D.C. in the late 1800s.
