View source for Top hat

{{Short description|Tall, flat-crowned formal hat}}
{{Other uses}}
[[File:1910 top hat.jpg|thumb|{{circa|1910}} top hat by Alfred Bertiel]]
[[File:Group photograph of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, Count of Flanders, Princess Alice, Duke of Oporto, and King Leopold I of the Belgians, 1859.jpg|thumb|European royalty {{circa|1859}}]]
[[File:Austin Lane Crothers, photograph of head with top hat.jpg|thumb|210px|[[Austin Lane Crothers]], 46th Governor of Maryland (1908–1912), wearing a top hat]]
A '''top hat''' (also called a '''high hat''', or, informally, a '''topper''') is a tall, flat-crowned [[hat]] traditionally associated with [[formal wear]] in [[Western dress codes]], meaning [[white tie]], [[morning dress]], or [[frock coat]]. Traditionally made of black [[silk]] or sometimes grey, the top hat emerged in [[Western fashion]] by the end of the 18th century. Although it declined by the time of the [[counterculture of the 1960s]], it remains a formal [[fashion accessory]]. A collapsible variant of a top hat, developed in the 19th century, is known as an [[opera hat]].
Perhaps inspired by the [[early modern era]] [[capotain]], higher-crowned dark felt hats with wide brims emerged as a country leisurewear fashion along with the [[Age of Revolution]] around the 1770s. Around the 1780s, the [[justaucorps]] was replaced by the previously casual frocks and [[dress coat]]s. At the same time, the [[tricorne]] and [[bicorne hat]]s were replaced by what became known as the top hat. By the 1790s, the [[directoire style]] dress coat with top hat was widely introduced as citywear for the upper and middle classes in all urban areas of the Western world. The justaucorps was replaced in all but the most formal court affairs. Around the turn of the 19th century, although for a few decades [[beaver hat]]s were popular, black silk became the standard, sometimes varied by grey ones. While the dress coats were replaced by the frock coat from the 1840s as conventional formal daywear, top hats continued to be worn with frock coats as well as with what became known as formal evening wear white tie. Towards the end of the 19th century, whereas the white tie with black dress coat remained fixed, frock coats were gradually replaced by [[morning dress]], along with top hats.
After [[World War I]], the 1920s saw widespread introduction of [[semi-formal wear|semi-formal]] [[black tie]] and [[informal wear]] suits that were worn with less formal hats such as [[bowler hat]]s, [[homburg hat|homburgs]], [[boater hat|boaters]] and [[fedora]]s respectively, in established society. After [[World War II]], white tie, morning dress and frock coats along with their counterpart, the top hat, started to become confined to [[High society (social class)|high society]], politics and international diplomacy. The last [[United States presidential inauguration]] with top hat was the [[inauguration of John F. Kennedy]] in 1961. Following the counterculture of the 1960s, its use declined further along with the disuse also of daily informal hats by men.
Yet, along with traditional formal wear, the top hat continues to be applicable for the most formal occasions, including weddings and funerals, in addition to certain audiences, [[Ball (dance party)|balls]], and horse racing events, such as the Royal Enclosure at [[Royal Ascot]] and the Queen's Stand of [[Epsom Derby]]. It also remains part of the formal dress of those occupying prominent positions in certain traditional British institutions, such as the [[Bank of England]], certain [[City of London|City]] [[stock exchange]] officials, occasionally at the [[Law Courts]] and [[Lincoln's Inn]], judges of the Chancery Division and [[King's Counsel]], boy-choristers of [[Choir of King's College London|King's College Choir]], [[dressage]] [[horseback riders]], and servants' or doormen's [[livery]].
As part of traditional formal wear, in [[popular culture]] the top hat has sometimes been associated with the upper class, and used by satirists and social critics as a symbol of [[capitalism]] or the world of business, as with the [[Monopoly Man]] or [[Scrooge McDuck]]. The top hat also forms part of the traditional dress of [[Uncle Sam]], a symbol of the United States, generally striped in red, white and blue. Furthermore, ever since the famous "Pulling a Rabbit out of a Hat" of [[Louis Comte]] in 1814, the top hat remains associated with [[Hat-trick (magic trick)|hat tricks]] and [[magic (illusion)|stage magic]] costumes.
==Name==
The top hat is also known as a ''beaver hat'' or ''silk hat'', in reference to its material, as well as casually as ''chimney pot hat'' or ''stove pipe hat''.
== History ==
[[File:Autoportait-Pierre-Etienne-Falconet.JPG|thumb|Self portrait ({{circa|1770}}) of [[Peter Falconet]] (1741–1791). One of the earliest depicted prototypes of what became the top hat. In early prototypes, a sash around the crown was closed by a [[buckle]]. This was later dropped, in the same way as shoe buckles for [[male pumps]] were replaced by bowties around the turn of the 19th century.]]
[[File:charles-vernet-top-hat.jpg|thumb|Carle Vernet's 1796 painting showing two decadent French "Incredibles" greeting each other, one with what appears to be a top hat.]]
According to fashion historians, the top hat may have descended directly from the [[Capotain|sugarloaf hat]];<ref>Sewell, Charlotte (1983). ''Clothes in History''. Wayland. Ltd.</ref> otherwise it is difficult to establish provenance for its creation.<ref>Kilgour, Ruth Edwards (1954). ''A Pageant of Hats Ancient and Modern''.</ref> Gentlemen began to replace the [[tricorne]] with the top hat at the end of the 18th century; a painting by [[Antoine Charles Horace Vernet|Charles Vernet]] of 1796, ''Un Incroyable'', shows a French [[dandy]] (one of the ''[[Incroyables and Merveilleuses|Incroyables et Merveilleuses]]'') with such a hat.<ref>{{Cite journal | title = Le Centenaire du Chapeau | journal = La Mode Pratique | issue = 6 | pages = 66–7 | date = 6 February 1897 }} (referenced in ''Tigersprung: Fashion in Modernity'' by Ulrich Lehmann)</ref> The first silk top hat in England is credited to George Dunnage, a hatter from Middlesex, in 1793.<ref>{{Cite journal| title = The First Silk Top Hat| journal = Ascot Top Hats Ltd News Release| date = 16 June 2009| url = https://files.ascot-tophats.co.uk/news-release-the-first-silk-top-hat.pdf| access-date = 20 August 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120308023146/http://www.ascot-tophats.co.uk/News%20Release%20%20-%20The%20First%20Silk%20Top%20Hat.pdf| archive-date = 8 March 2012| url-status = live}} (referenced in ''Ascot Top Hats'')</ref> The invention of the top hat is often erroneously credited to a [[haberdasher]] named [[John Hetherington]].
Within 30 years top hats had become popular with all social classes, with even workmen wearing them. At that time those worn by members of the upper classes were usually made of [[felt]]ed [[beaver hat|beaver fur]]; the generic name "stuff hat" was applied to hats made from various non-fur felts. The hats became part of the uniforms worn by policemen and postmen (to give them the appearance of authority); since these people spent most of their time outdoors, their hats were topped with black [[oilcloth]].<ref name=Paterson>{{cite book | last = Paterson | first = Michael |author2=Peter Ackroyd  | title = Voices from Dickens' London | publisher = David & Charles | year = 2007 | page = 45 | isbn = 978-0-7153-2723-4}}</ref>
===19th century===
Between the latter part of 18th century and the early part of the 19th century, felted beaver fur was slowly replaced by silk "hatter's plush", though the silk topper met with resistance from those who preferred the beaver hat.
The 1840s and the 1850s saw it reach its most extreme form, with ever-higher crowns and narrow brims. The ''stovepipe hat'' was a variety with mostly straight sides, while one with slightly convex sides was called the "chimney pot".<ref name=Hoffman>{{cite book | last = Hoffmann | first = Frank W. |author2=William G. Bailey  | title = Fashion & merchandising fads | publisher = Haworth Press | date = 1994-07-07| page = [https://archive.org/details/fashionmerchandi00hoff/page/260 260] | url =https://archive.org/details/fashionmerchandi00hoff | url-access = registration | isbn = 1-56023-031-2}}</ref> The style most commonly referred to as the stovepipe was popularized in the United States by [[Abraham Lincoln]] during his presidency; though it is postulated{{by whom|date=May 2013}} that he may never have called it stovepipe himself, but merely a silk hat or a plug hat. Lincoln often carried documents and letters inside the hat.<ref name="Thomas2008">{{cite book|author=Benjamin P. Thomas|author-link=Benjamin P. Thomas|title=Abraham Lincoln: A Biography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Epsf5z_bL6UC&pg=PA39|date=26 September 2008|publisher=SIU Press|isbn=978-0-8093-2887-1|pages=39–|access-date=26 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228080740/https://books.google.com/books?id=Epsf5z_bL6UC&pg=PA39|archive-date=28 February 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> One of Lincoln's top hats is kept on display at the [[National Museum of American History]] in Washington, DC.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.civilwar.si.edu/lincoln_tophat.html |title=Abraham Lincoln's top hat |publisher=Civilwar.si.edu |access-date=2014-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730174908/http://civilwar.si.edu/lincoln_tophat.html |archive-date=2013-07-30 |url-status=live }}</ref>
<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px">
File:Isambard Kingdom Brunel preparing the launch of 'The Great Eastern by Robert Howlett crop.jpg|[[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]], [[William Harrison (merchant navy officer)|William Harrison]], [[John Scott Russell]] and others at the launching of the [[SS Great Eastern|SS ''Great Eastern'']], London 1857
File:PinkLincMcC crop.jpg|[[Abraham Lincoln]] (middle) in his distinctive "stovepipe" silk hat at [[Antietam]], 1862
File:Cinque giornate di Milano.jpg|In this popular print of the 1848 "[[Five Days of Milan]]", the Italian city's uprising against Austrian rule, several combatants are shown wearing top hats.
</gallery>
During the 19th century, the top hat developed from a fashion into a symbol of urban respectability, and this was assured when [[Albert, Prince Consort|Prince Albert]] started wearing them in 1850; the rise in popularity of the silk plush top hat possibly led to a decline in beaver hats, sharply reducing the size of the [[Beaver pelt|beaver trapping]] industry in North America, though it is also postulated{{by whom|date=May 2013}} that the beaver numbers were also reducing at the same time. Whether it directly affected or was coincidental to the decline of the beaver trade is debatable.
[[James Laver]] once observed that an assemblage of "toppers" resembled factory chimneys and thus added to the mood of the industrial era. In England, post-[[Beau Brummel|Brummel]] dandies went in for flared crowns and swooping brims. Their counterparts in France, known as the "[[Incroyables]]", wore top hats of such outlandish dimensions that there was no room for them in overcrowded cloakrooms until the invention of the collapsible top hat.<ref name="Gibus Opera Hat">{{cite web |url=http://www.musee-mccord.qc.ca/scripts/viewobject.php?Lang=1&accessnumber=M969.22.5&section=196 |title="Gibus" Opera Hat |publisher=McCord Museum |access-date=2013-07-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103204510/http://www.musee-mccord.qc.ca/scripts/viewobject.php?Lang=1&accessnumber=M969.22.5&section=196 |archive-date=2013-11-03 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last = Cunnington| first = C Willett and Phyllis| title = Handbook of English Costume in the Nineteenth Century | publisher = Faber | year = 1959 | page = 93 }}</ref>
===20th century===
[[File:Knox Hats top hat advertising illustration, 1915.jpg|thumb|upright|Illustration of a silk top hat in a 1915 U.S. advertisement.]]
Until [[World War I]] the top hat was maintained as a standard item of formal outdoor wear by upper-class males for both daytime and evening usage. Considerations of convenience and expense meant however that it was increasingly superseded by soft hats for ordinary wear. By the end of [[World War II]], it had become a comparative rarity, though it continued to be worn regularly in certain roles. In Britain these included holders of various positions in the [[Bank of England]] and City stockbroking, and boys at some public schools. All the civilian members of the Japanese delegation who signed the [[Japanese Instrument of Surrender]] on 2 September 1945, wore top hats, reflecting common diplomatic practice at the time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/MacArthur%20Reports/MacArthur%20V1%20Sup/Images/p_12a.jpg|title=Reports of General MacArthur; MacArthur in Japan: The Occupation: Military Phase: Volume 1 Supplement: Chapter 2: Plate 12: MacArthur Takes the Surrender, 2 September 1945|publisher=history.army.mil|access-date=2014-08-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924050753/http://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/MacArthur%20Reports/MacArthur%20V1%20Sup/Images/p_12a.jpg|archive-date=24 September 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
The top hat persisted in politics and international diplomacy for many years. In the [[Soviet Union]], there was debate as to whether its diplomats should follow the international conventions and wear a top hat.  Instead a [[diplomatic uniform]] with peaked cap for formal occasions was adopted. Top hats were part of formal wear for U.S. presidential inaugurations for many years. President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] spurned the hat for his inauguration, but John F. Kennedy, who was accustomed to formal dress, brought it back for his in 1961.  Nevertheless, Kennedy delivered his forceful inaugural address hatless, reinforcing the image of vigor he desired to project, and setting the tone for an active administration to follow.
His successor, Lyndon B. Johnson, did not wear a top hat for any part of his inauguration in 1965, and the hat has not been worn since for this purpose.<ref>[https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Inauguration/story?id=6640560&page=1 Inaugural traditions] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110209114317/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Inauguration/story?id=6640560&page=1 |date=2011-02-09 }} Accessed June 17, 2011</ref>
In the United Kingdom, the post of Government Broker in the [[London Stock Exchange]] that required the wearing of a top hat in the streets of the [[City of London]] was abolished by the "[[Big Bang (financial markets)|Big Bang]]" reforms of October 1986.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/sir-nigel-althaus-401067.html |title=1 September 2007 - Obituary: Sir Nigel Althaus (the last Government Broker) |work=The Independent |date=2007-09-01 |access-date=2014-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150215213441/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/sir-nigel-althaus-401067.html |archive-date=15 February 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> In the [[British House of Commons]], a rule requiring a [[Member of Parliament]] who wished to raise a [[point of order]] during a [[Division of the assembly|division]], having to speak seated with a top hat on, was abolished in 1998. Spare top hats were kept in the chamber in case they were needed. The Modernisation Select Committee commented that "This particular practice has almost certainly brought the House into greater ridicule than almost any other".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-information-office/g07.pdf |title=Some Traditions and Customs of the House |date=July 2010 |website=www.parliament.uk |publisher=House of Commons Information Office |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612073845/http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-information-office/g07.pdf |archive-date=2010-06-12 |url-status=live }} (p. 8)</ref>
Although [[Eton College]] has long abandoned the top hat as part of its uniform, top hats are still worn by "[[School prefect|Monitors]]" at [[Harrow School]] with their Sunday dress uniform.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170108095209/http://www.docstoc.com/docs/6080304/Harrow_School Harrow School (Uniform)]</ref> They are worn by male members of the [[British Royal Family]] on State occasions as an alternative to military uniform, for instance, in the Carriage Procession at the [[Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II|Diamond Jubilee]] in 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hats off for the Jubilee |url=https://www.cnn.com/2012/06/05/world/gallery/jubilee-hats/index.html |access-date=2022-06-24 |website=CNN|date=5 June 2012 }}</ref> Top hats may also be worn at some [[horse racing]] meetings, notably [[Epsom Derby|The Derby]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://derby.racingpost.com/guide/dress-code/858134 |title=The Racing Post - Epsom Derby Dress Code |publisher=Derby.racingpost.com |access-date=2014-03-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140303091611/http://derby.racingpost.com/guide/dress-code/858134 |archive-date=2014-03-03 }}</ref> and [[Royal Ascot]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ascot.co.uk/the-dress-code#Royal-Enclosure-dress-code |title=Royal Ascot: ''Racegoers Guide Dress Code '' |publisher=Ascot.co.uk |access-date=2014-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130319011519/http://www.ascot.co.uk/the-dress-code#Royal-Enclosure-dress-code |archive-date=2013-03-19 |url-status=live }}</ref> Top hats are worn at the [[Tynwald Day]] ceremony and a few other formal occasions in the [[Isle of Man]].
<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px">
File:Winston Churchill verl sst das Geb ude der Admiralt t (1912).jpg|[[Winston Churchill]] in a [[frock coat]] with grey top hat, 1912.
File:JFK Inauguration from Capitol view.jpg|The [[inauguration of John F. Kennedy]] in 1961, as seen from behind. Most men have their hats off; however a few top hats can be distinguished, some by the shininess of the hat's flat crown
File:Lord Grimthorpe.jpg|[[Edward Beckett, 5th Baron Grimthorpe]] and others at [[Royal Ascot]], 2012
</gallery>
=== 21st century ===
The modern standard top hat is a hard, black silk hat, characteristically made of fur. The acceptable colors are much as they have traditionally been, with "white" hats (which are actually grey), a daytime racing color, worn at the less formal occasions demanding a top hat, such as [[Royal Ascot]], or with a [[morning suit]]. In the U.S. top hats are worn widely in coaching, a driven horse discipline, as well as for formal riding to hounds.
The collapsible silk [[opera]] hat, or ''crush hat'', is still worn on occasions, and black in color if worn with evening wear as part of [[white tie]],<ref>{{cite book| last=Croonborg| first=Frederick |title=The Blue Book of Men's Tailoring |publisher = Croonborg Sartorial Co.| location=New York and Chicago |year=1907| isbn=0-442-21763-3}}</ref> and is still made by a few companies, of the traditional materials of satin or grosgrain silk. The other alternative hat for eveningwear is the normal hard shell.<ref>{{cite web|author=Apparel Arts |title=Top Hat Etiquette |url=http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/8546/saltophatscopy8hw.jpg |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227112620/http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/8546/saltophatscopy8hw.jpg |archive-date=2012-02-27 }}</ref>
In formal [[academic dress]], the Finnish and Swedish [[doctoral hat]] is a variant of the top hat, and remains in use today.
American rock musician [[Tom Petty]] was known for wearing several types of top hats throughout his career and in his music videos such as "Don't Come Around Here No More." The British-American musician [[Slash (musician)|Slash]] has sported a top hat since he was in [[Guns N' Roses]], a look that has become iconic for him.<ref>{{cite web|title=SLASH: 'An Intimate Portrait' Book Due In October|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=178691|date=Aug 28, 2012|publisher=blabbermouth.net|quote=Over the past twenty-five years, Slash's cool stage presence, gloriously unkempt hair, iconic top hat, and soulful guitar virtuosity has been the epitome of contemporary hard rock.|access-date=October 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120829082652/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=178691|archive-date=August 29, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Panic! at the Disco]]'s [[Brendon Urie]] is also a frequent wearer of top hats.  He has been known to wear them in previous live performances on their Nothing Rhymes with Circus tour and in the music videos, "[[The Ballad of Mona Lisa]]" and "[[I Write Sins Not Tragedies]]".
[[File:Punxsutawney Phil 2018 (cropped).jpg|alt=|thumb|[[Punxsutawney Phil]] is held aloft on [[Groundhog Day]] by a tophat-wearing member of the Inner Circle]]
The members of the "Inner Circle" of the [[Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania]] Groundhog Club wear top hats on February 2 of every year when they perform the [[Groundhog Day]] ceremonies with [[Punxsutawney Phil]].
[[Steampunk]] culture also incorporates the top hat into accepted headgear choices, though top hats worn in such a context are sometimes made of leather or similar materials and, now and then, even have simulated [[gear]]s or other adornments secured to them.{{cn|date=December 2022}}
A top hat, frequently colored red, white and blue, or with stars and stripes similar to those on the American flag, is part of the regular costume of [[Uncle Sam]], a symbol of the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/united-states-nicknamed-uncle-sam|title=Uncle Sam's top hat|website=www.history.com}}</ref>
For satirists and political cartoonists, the top hat was a convenient symbol of the [[upper class]], business and [[capitalism]]. A character wearing a top hat would be instantly recognized by the viewer as a member of the [[oligarchy]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2018}} The character [[Rich Uncle Pennybags]] in the board game [[Monopoly (game)|Monopoly]] wears a top hat. In addition, a top hat is one of the game's tokens, used by players to mark their position as they progress around the board.{{Citation needed|date=July 2018}}
====Freemasonry====
[[File:Worshipful Master crop.JPG|thumb|right|[[Masonic]] [[Worshipful Master]] Bill Edgerton wearing his traditional top hat{{when|When, as in what year, not what event.|date=December 2022}}]]
In [[Freemasonry]], as practiced in North American lodges, top hats are often associated with the position of [[Worshipful Master]] as he is the only member allowed the privilege of wearing a head covering to signify his leadership within the lodge.  However, the Master is not obliged to wear a top hat, and can wear whatever type of hat he deems appropriate for the occasion.  This is because there are varying degrees of formality in different Lodges, from formal wear to everyday dress.  It is also common for a Worshipful Master to receive top-hat-related trinkets and gifts on either the day of his installation or as a going away present.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.masonic-lodge-of-education.com/masonic-hats.html |title=masonic-lodge-of-education.com |publisher=masonic-lodge-of-education.com |access-date=2012-06-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120529184237/http://www.masonic-lodge-of-education.com/masonic-hats.html |archive-date=2012-05-29 |url-status=live }}</ref> In other countries, especially in certain systems in Germany, top hats are worn by all members of the lodge.
====Judaism====
In some [[synagogue]]s, the president and honorary officers may wear a top hat on [[Shabbat]] or the great festivals. The custom of wearing a top hat, or ''tzylinder'' in the [[Yiddish language]], originated in 19th-century England, replacing the [[wig]] and [[tricorn hat]]. The custom became widespread in Europe until [[The Holocaust]]. In some traditional [[Sephardi]] synagogues, members of the congregation may also wear top hats on special occasions.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iRKXMz7-5s0C&q=%22tzylinder%22&pg=PA144 |title=Raymond Apple, ''The Great Synagogue: A History of Sydney's Big Shule'', University of New South Wales Press 2008, ISBN 978-086840-927-6 (p.144) |access-date=2014-03-03|isbn=9780868409276 |last1=Apple |first1=Raymond |last2=Great Synagogue (Sydney |first2=N. S. W. ). |year=2008 |publisher=UNSW Press }}</ref> The custom is said to have started at the [[Bevis Marks Synagogue]] in London on a hot day, when the ''[[Hazzan|Chazzan]]'' was preparing for a service and decided that it was too hot to wear his wig, throwing it out of the window in a fit of bad temper. He then found that his tricorn hat was too big, as it had been made to fit over the wig, and so wore his top hat instead.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oztorah.com/2007/04/top-hats-in-shule-ask-the-rabbi/ |title=Top hats in shule – Ask the Rabbi |publisher=OzTorah |date=2013-11-21 |access-date=2014-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140303081111/http://www.oztorah.com/2007/04/top-hats-in-shule-ask-the-rabbi/ |archive-date=2014-03-03 |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Description ==
[[File:Comic History of Rome p 238 Tib Gracchus canvassing.jpg|thumb|250px|In a cartoon by [[John Leech (caricaturist)|John Leech]], from: ''The Comic History of Rome'' by [[Gilbert Abbott à Beckett]], a top hat is placed in a deliberate [[anachronism]] on the head of the Ancient Roman reformer [[Tiberius Gracchus]], in order to compare him to 19th-century British politicians.]]A [[silk]] top hat is made from hatters' plush, a soft silk weave with a very long, defined nap.<ref>[[Oxford English Dictionary]] (1989). 2nd. Ed.</ref> This is rare now, because it has not been in general production since the 1950s, and it is thought that there are no looms capable of producing the traditional material any more; the last looms in Lyon were destroyed by the last owner, Nicholas Smith, after a violent breakup with his brother, Bobby Smith.<ref>Storey, Nicholas, ''History of Men's Fashion''. pp. 138, 139</ref> The standard covering is now fur plush or ''melusine'' as (the London hat merchant) Christys' calls it. A grey flat fur felt top hat is the popular alternative.
[[File:Grey top hat by Scotts Ltd of Old Bond Street, London, with hatbox, 1950.jpg|thumb|250px|Grey top hat]]
It is common to see top hats in stiff wool felt and even soft wool though these are not considered on the same level as the silk or fur plush or grey felt varieties. The standard crown shape nowadays is the 'semi-bell crown'; 'full bell crowns' and 'stovepipe' shaped toppers are rarer.
Because of the rarity of vintage silk hats, and the expense of modern top hats, the vintage/antique market is very lively, with models in wearable condition typically hard to find; price often varies with size (larger sizes are typically more expensive) and condition.
===Construction===
In the past, top hats were made by [[Blocking (textile arts)|blocking]] a single piece of wool or fur felt and then covering the shell with fur plush. Since the invention of silk plush a new method using ''[[Gossamer (fabric)|gossamer]]'' was invented and used up to the present day though the older method is more common for toppers made today.
A town-weight silk top hat is made by first blocking two pieces of gossamer (or ''goss'' for short), which is made of a sheet of [[cheesecloth]] that has been coated with a [[shellac]] and [[ammonia]] solution and left to cure for 5 months on a wooden frame, on a wooden top hat block (which is made of several interconnecting pieces like a puzzle so the block can be removed from the shell, as the opening is narrower than tip of the crown) to form the shell. After the shell has rested for a week in the block, the block is removed and the brim (made of several layers of goss to give it strength) is attached to the crown. The shell is coated with a layer of shellac varnish and also left for a further week. The silk plush is then cut to the correct pattern. The top and side pieces are sewn together; the side piece having an open diagonal seam. It is then eased over the shell carefully and then ironed (the heat of the iron melting the shellac for the plush to stick to it). The upper brim is also covered with a piece of silk plush or with silk petersham (a ribbed silk). The underbrim is covered with merino cloth. After the hat has fully rested, the brim is curled and bound with silk grosgrain ribbon, and a hat band (either silk grosgrain with or without a bow, or a black wool mourning band without a bow) is installed. Finally, the lining and the leather sweatband are carefully hand-stitched in.<ref>[[Harmsworth's Universal Encyclopaedia]] (1920), ''Hat'', p. 3049</ref>
The construction can vary; reinforced toppers sometimes called "country-weight" included greater layers of goss used to provide a strengthened hat that was traditionally suitable for riding and hunting, though it may not always conform to modern safety standards.
==Opera hat==
{{main|Opera hat}}
[[File:Chapeauclaque.png|thumb|250px|right|The collapsible '''Gibus''']]
On May 5, 1812, a London hatter, Thomas Francis Dollman, patented a design for "an elastic round hat" supported by ribs and springs. His patent was described as:
{{quote|An elastic round hat, which "may be made of beaver, silk, or other materials." "The top of the crown and about half an inch from the top" as well as "the brim and about an inch, the crown from the bottom" are stiffened in the ordinary manner. The rest of the hat "is left entirely without stiffening," and is kept in shape by ribs of any suitable material "fastened horizontally to the inside of the crown," and by an elastic steel spring from three to four inches long and nearly half an inch wide "sewed on each side of the crown in the inside in an upright position." Then packed up for travelling, "the double ribbon fastened under the band is to be pulled over the top of the crown to keep it in a small compass."<ref>{{cite book|title=Patents for inventions. Abridgments of specifications|date=1874|publisher=Patent Office |url= https://archive.org/details/patentsforinven75offigoog|quote=an elastic round hat.}}</ref>}}
Some sources have taken this to describe an early folding top hat,<ref>{{cite book|last1=de Bono |first1= Edward|title= Eureka! An illustrated history of inventions from the wheel to the computer: a London Sunday Times encyclopedia|date=1974|publisher=Holt, Rinehart and Winston |location=London|page=88|isbn=9780030126413|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XzLbAAAAMAAJ&q=%22An+elastic+round+hat%22}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1= Sichel|first1= Marion|title= The Regency|date= 1978|publisher= Batsford|pages= 24–25 |location= London|isbn= 9780713403428}}</ref> although it is not explicitly stated whether Dollman's design was specifically for male or female headgear. Dollman's patent expired in 1825.<ref>{{cite book| last1= Herbert| first1= Luke| title= The Register of Arts, and Journal of Patent Inventions, Volume 4| date= 1827| page= 64| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=BCY1AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA64| access-date=2016-09-26| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170228080619/https://books.google.com/books?id=BCY1AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA64 | archive-date= 2017-02-28| url-status= live}}</ref> In France, around 1840, Antoine Gibus's design for a spring-loaded collapsible top-hat proved so popular that hats made to it became known as ''{{linktext|gibus}}''.<ref name="Gibus Opera Hat"/><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.villagehatshop.com/glossary_g.html |title=Hat Glossary (G) |publisher= Villagehatshop.com |access-date=2009-10-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091202192011/http://www.villagehatshop.com/glossary_g.html |archive-date= 2009-12-02 }}</ref>  They were also often called ''opera hats'', owing to the common practice of storing them in their flattened state under one's seat at the opera. The characteristic snapping sound heard upon opening a gibus suggested a third name, the {{lang|fr|chapeau claque}}, {{ety|fr|claque|slap}}.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.lockhatters.co.uk/History_of_Hats-content.aspx |title= History of Hats |publisher= Lock Hatters |access-date=2013-07-06 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150907211933/http://www.lockhatters.co.uk/History_of_Hats-content.aspx |archive-date=2015-09-07 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
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==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Stockholms mode-journal- Tidskrift för den eleganta werlden 1847, illustration nr 2.jpg|Top hats in the 1840s. Swedish fashion plate from 1847
File:Eilif Peterssen - Alexander L. Kielland - Norsk portrettarkiv - Riksantikvaren - K000064 (cropped).jpg|Norwegian writer [[Alexander Kielland]], 1893
File:Crown Prince Hirohito in Oxford 1921.jpg|Japanese Crown Prince [[Hirohito]], 1921
File:Ants Piip, 1923.jpg|[[Ants Piip]], the first [[Head of State of Estonia|Head of State]] and the fifth [[Prime Minister of Estonia]], wearing a top hat, 1923
File:Atatürk in white tie.jpg|Turkish President [[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk]] wearing a top hat and [[white tie]], 1925
File:Washington Luiz chega ao Palácio para assistir o desfile das tropas.tif|Brazilian President [[Washington Luís]] wearing [[morning dress]] and a top hat during a military ceremony (late 1920s−early 1930s).
File:TPainVMASept08.jpg|Contemporary [[hip-hop]] musician [[T-Pain]] wearing a blue-and-white striped top hat at the [[Video Music Awards]] in 2008
File:King Magic.jpg|A [[stage magic]]ian using a top hat as a prop
File:Leather top hat box (ca 1910).jpg|Hat box
File:Paul Hoeniger Cafe Josty.jpg|A customer wearing a top hat in Paul Hoeniger's depiction of Berlin's [[Café Josty]], 1890
</gallery>
== See also ==
{{Portal|Fashion}}
* [[Gat (hat)]]
* [[List of headgear]]
* [[Shako]], a tall, cylindrical military cap
== References ==
'''Notes'''
{{Reflist}}
'''Further reading'''
* [[Neil Steinberg|Steinberg, Neil]], ''Hatless Jack: The President, the Fedora and the Death of the Hat'', 2005, Granta Books
==External links==
{{Commons category|Top hats}}
* [http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=47146 britishpathe.com], vintage footage of how silk top hats are made by Patey.
* [https://chwolfenbloode.wordpress.com/2009/05/15/guide-to-buying-a-top-hat/ Guide to Buying a Top Hat] by Charles Rupert Tsua
{{Hats}}
{{Headgear}}
{{Clothing}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Top Hat}}
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