Hat
Shaped head covering
title: "Hat" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["hats", "history-of-fashion"] description: "Shaped head covering" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hat" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Shaped head covering ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Chapeaux_en_peau_de_castor.jpg" caption="A collection of 18th and 19th centuries men's beaver felt hats"] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Pierre_Auguste_Renoir_-Woman_in_a_Flowered_Hat-_Google_Art_Project.jpg" caption="''Woman in a Flowered Hat'' (1889), by [[Pierre-Auguste Renoir]]: Straw hat with brim decorated with cloth flowers and ribbons"] ::
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, comedy, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mechanical features, such as visors, spikes, flaps, braces or beer holders shade into the broader category of headgear.
In the past, hats were an indicator of social status. In the military, hats may denote nationality, branch of service, rank or regiment. Police typically wear distinctive hats such as peaked caps or brimmed hats, such as those worn by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Some hats have a protective function. As examples, the hard hat protects construction workers' heads from injury by falling objects, a British police Custodian helmet protects the officer's head, a sun hat shades the face and shoulders from the sun, a cowboy hat protects against sun and rain and an ushanka fur hat with fold-down earflaps keeps the head and ears warm. Some hats are worn for ceremonial purposes, such as the mortarboard, which is worn (or carried) during university graduation ceremonies. Some hats are worn by members of a certain profession, such as the Toque worn by chefs, or the mitre worn by Christian bishops but sometimes worn by the Pope for certain events but disappeared when the discontinued papal tiara replaced it starting from the 8th century AD. Adherents of certain religions regularly wear hats, such as the turban worn by Sikhs, or the church hat that is worn as a headcovering by Christian women during prayer and worship.
History
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Willendorf-Venus-1468.jpg" caption="The 27,000-to-30,000-year-old [[Venus of Willendorf]] may depict a woman wearing a woven hat."] ::
While there are not many official records of hats before 3,000 BC, they probably were commonplace before that. The 27,000-to-30,000-year-old Venus of Willendorf figurine may depict a woman wearing a woven hat. One of the earliest known confirmed hats was worn by a Bronze Age man (nicknamed Ötzi) whose body (including his hat) was found frozen in a mountain between Austria and Italy, where he had been since around 3250 BC. He was found wearing a bearskin cap with a chin strap, made of several hides stitched together, essentially resembling a Russian fur hat without the flaps.
One of the first pictorial depictions of a hat appears in a tomb painting from Thebes, Egypt, which shows a man wearing a conical straw hat, dated to around 3200 BC. Hats were commonly worn in ancient Egypt. Many upper-class Egyptians shaved their heads, then covered it in a headdress intended to help them keep cool. Ancient Mesopotamians often wore conical hats or ones shaped somewhat like an inverted vase.
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Inquilinos.gif" caption="foreman]] (with horse) wears a hat of greater height than the accompanying [[inquilino]] (1821 [[Chile]])."] ::
Other early hats include the Pileus, a simple skull-like cap; the Phrygian cap, worn by freed slaves in Greece and Rome (which became iconic in America during the Revolutionary War and the French Revolution, as a symbol of the struggle for liberty against the Monarchy); and the Greek petasos, the first known hat with a brim. Women wore veils, kerchiefs, hoods, caps and wimples.
Like Ötzi, the Tollund Man was preserved to the present day with a hat on, probably having died around 400 BC in a Danish bog, which mummified him. He wore a pointed cap made of sheepskin and wool, fastened under the chin by a hide strap.
St. Clement, the patron saint of felt hatmakers, is said to have discovered felt when he filled his sandals with flax fibers to protect his feet, around 800 AD.
In the Middle Ages, hats were a marker of social status and used to single out certain groups. The 1215 Fourth Council of the Lateran required that all Jews identify themselves by wearing the Judenhat ("Jewish hat"), marking them as targets for antisemitism. The hats were usually yellow and were either pointed or square.
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/charles-vernet-top-hat.jpg" caption="Incredibles]]" greeting each other, one with what appears to be a top hat, perhaps its first recorded appearance."] ::
In the Middle Ages, hats for women ranged from simple scarves to elaborate hennin, and denoted social status. Structured hats for women similar to those of male courtiers began to be worn in the late 16th century. The term 'milliner' comes from the Italian city of Milan, where the best quality hats were made in the 18th century. Millinery was traditionally a woman's occupation, with the milliner not only creating hats and bonnets but also choosing lace, trimmings and accessories to complete an outfit.
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Gruppbild_sv_arbetsförmän_vid_Läten_Hospitalbygge_-Nordiska_Museet-_NMA.0056803.jpg" caption="Left-to-right: [[Top-hat]], [[peaked cap]], [[Borsalino]], [[bowler hat]] (Sweden, early 20th century)."] ::
In the first half of the 19th century, women wore bonnets that gradually became larger, decorated with ribbons, flowers, feathers, and gauze trims. By the end of the century, many other styles were introduced, among them hats with wide brims and flat crowns, the flower pot and the toque. By the middle of the 1920s, when women began to cut their hair short, they chose hats that hugged the head like a helmet.
The tradition of wearing hats to horse racing events began at the Royal Ascot in Britain, which maintains a strict dress code. All guests in the Royal Enclosure must wear hats. This tradition was adopted at other horse racing events, such as the Kentucky Derby in the United States. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Cover_of_Australasian_Post_With_Miss_Chinatown_in_1966.jpg" caption="Cover of Australasian Post With Miss Chinatown wearing a [[Christian Dior]] hat in the 1960s"] ::
Extravagant hats were popular in the 1980s, and in the early 21st century, flamboyant hats made a comeback, with a new wave of competitive young milliners designing creations that include turban caps, trompe-l'œil-effect felt hats and tall headpieces made of human hair. Some new hat collections have been described as "wearable sculpture". Many pop stars, among them Lady Gaga, have commissioned hats as publicity stunts.
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/RhofHutladen1.jpg" caption="A hat shop from about 1900 inside the [[Roscheider Hof Open Air Museum]]."] ::
Famous hatmakers
One of the most famous London hatters is James Lock & Co. of St James's Street. The shop claims to be the oldest operating hat shop in the world. Another was Sharp & Davis of 6 Fish Street Hill. In the late 20th century, museums credited London-based David Shilling with reinventing hats worldwide. Notable Belgian hat designers are Elvis Pompilio and Fabienne Delvigne (Royal warrant of appointment holder), whose hats are worn by European royals. Philip Treacy OBE is an Irish milliner whose hats have been commissioned by top designers and worn at royal weddings. In North America, the well-known cowboy-hat manufacturer Stetson made the headgear for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Texas Rangers. John Cavanagh was one of the notable American hatters. Italian hat maker Borsalino has covered the heads of Hollywood stars and the world's rich and famous.
Collections
The Philippi Collection is a collection of religious headgear assembled by a German entrepreneur, Dieter Philippi, located in Kirkel. The collection features over 500 hats, and is currently the world's largest collection of clerical, ecclesiastical and religious head coverings.
Styles
This is a short list of some common and iconic examples of hats. There is a longer version at List of hat styles
::data[format=table]
| Image | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| [[File:DarkGreenAscotCapOnHead.jpg | 60px | Ascot cap]] |
| [[File:Balmoral bonnet black.jpg | 60px | Balmoral bonnet]] |
| [[File:Texas Tech Red Raiders baseball cap.jpg | 60px | Baseball cap]] |
| [[File:Noogler.png | 60px | Propeller beanie with a visor]] |
| In New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom and some parts of the United States, beanie refers to the knit cap. | ||
| [[File:Giovane guardia al palazzo della regina di Danimarca - panoramio.jpg | 60px | Bearskin]] |
| [[File:Evening Parade 140718-M-GR671-024 (Beret crop).jpg | 60px | Beret]] |
| [[File:Detail from a painting of Napoleon.jpg | 60px | Bicorne]] |
| [[File:Bowler Hat sw (fcm).jpg | 60px | Bowler / Derby]] |
| [[File:Buntaljfccc.JPG | 60px | Buntal]] |
| [[File:Greenmustardorangbluechullo.jpg | 60px | Chullo]] |
| [[File:Vilmabanky.jpg | 60px | Cloche hat]] |
| [[File:SidBarnesHeadshot.jpg | 60px | Cricket cap]] |
| [[File:Sombrero-cordobes.jpg | 60px | Sombrero cordobés]] |
| [[File:Monywa-Hpo Win Daung-62-Affenfutterhaendlerin-gje.jpg | 60px | Conical hat]] |
| [[File:Cap of American opossum with a raccoon tail (Davy Crockett style).jpg | 60px | Coonskin cap]] |
| [[File:Felthat.jpg | 60px]] | Cowboy hat |
| [[File:Hampshire helmet constable.jpg | 60px | Custodian helmet]] |
| [[File:Yellow deerstalker.jpg | 60px | Deerstalker]] |
| [[File:Hatt.jpg | 60px]] | Fedora |
| [[File:Osmanischer Soldat II.jpg | 60px]] | Fez |
| [[File:Chapeau berger Peul-Institut d'ethnologie de Strasbourg-2.jpg | 60px]] | Fulani hat |
| [[File:Schutzhelm.jpg | 60px]] | Hard hat |
| [[File:Churchill V sign HU 55521.jpg | 60px]] | Homburg |
| [[File:Prince Sultan.jpg | 60px]] | Keffiyeh |
| [[File:IDF soldier kippah put on tefillin-small.jpg | 60px]] | Kippah |
| [[File:Woman wearing a knit cap-2014.jpg | 60px | upright]] |
| [[File:Umaru Yar'Adua VOA.jpg | 60px]] | Kufi |
| [[File:Visita di Papa Benedetto XVI a Genova - 2008-05-18 - Primo piano di Benedetto XVI.jpg | 60px]] | Mitre |
| [[File:Enrique ponce.jpg | 60px]] | Montera |
| [[File:Panama hat.jpg | 60px]] | Panama |
| [[File:Bust Attis CdM.jpg | 60px]] | Phrygian cap |
| [[File:DorisDay-midnightlace-full.jpg | 60px | Actress Doris Day wearing a pillbox hat in 1960]] |
| [[File:PithHelmetTruman.jpg | 60px]] | Pith helmet |
| [[File:Rasta Man Barbados.jpg | 60px]] | Rastacap |
| [[File:Plk-lekarz.JPG | 60px]] | Rogatywka |
| [[File:Meghan Markle 2014 (cropped).jpg | 60px]] | Santa hatSanta Hat |
| [[File:Harry S Truman sombrero.jpg | 60px]] | Sombrero |
| [[File:Tam-o-shanters.jpg | 60px | ]] |
| [[File:Tophat.jpg | 60px]] | Top hat |
| [[File:Chef Hat.JPG | 60px]] | Toque |
| [[File:Peter the Great Reenactor.jpg | 60px]] | Tricorne |
| [[File:Sikh man, Agra 05.jpg | 60px]] | Turban |
| [[File:Grayushanka.jpg | 60px]] | Ushanka |
| [[File:Cardinal zucchetto 2003 modified 2008-15-08.jpg | 60px]] | Zucchetto |
| :: |
Size
Hat sizes are determined by measuring the circumference of a person's head about 1 cm above the ears. Inches or centimeters may be used depending on the manufacturer. Felt hats can be stretched for a custom fit. Some hats, like hard hats and baseball caps, are adjustable. Cheaper hats come in "standard sizes", such as small, medium, large, extra large: the mapping of measured size to the various "standard sizes" varies from maker to maker and style to style, as can be seen by studying various catalogues, such as Hammacher Schlemmer.
::data[format=table title="'''Hat sizes'''{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}}"] | size || || || || || Youth S/M ||Youth L/XL || XXS || XS ||S || M || L || XL || XXL || XXXL | Age (years) | Circumference in cm | Circumference in inches | UK hat size | US hat size | French hat size | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 0 | | 1 | | 2 | | | | 34 | 43 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51–52 | | | 17 | | | | | – | | | | 5 | 5 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 6–6 | | | | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6–6 | | | | 0 | | 1 | 1 | 2–2 | ::
US hat size is a measurement of head diameter in inches. It can be computed from a measurement of circumference in centimeters by dividing by 8, because multiplying 2.54 (the number of centimeters per inch) by (the multiplier to give circumference from diameter) is almost exactly 8.
Gallery
File:Hermes warrior Louvre G515.jpg|Hermes wearing a petasos hat, Attic red-figure krater, File:Altes Museum-Tanagra-lady with fan.jpg|Ancient Greek statue of a lady with blue and gilt garment, a fan and a sun hat, from Tanagra, File:1822-Millinery-shop-Paris-Chalon.jpg|Paris millinery shop, France, 1822 File:Ion Theodorescu-Sion - Iluzie optică, Furnica, 30 oct 1908.JPG|Hat fashions have sometimes been the subject of ridicule. This 1908 cartoon by Ion Theodorescu-Sion, which first appeared in a Romanian publication, satirised the popularity of mushroom hats. File:Mode. Hattar. Modeplansch från 1911 - Nordiska Museet - NMA.0033994.jpg|Women's picture hats from 1911. File:Mathias Schmid.Man in a hat.Panel, 7.5 x 6.5 cm.jpg|Mathias Schmid (Austria, 1835-1923). Man in a hat File:Douglas Fairbanks at third Liberty Loan rally HD-SN-99-02174.JPEG|New York City, 1918: A large crowd of people, almost all wearing hats File:Heatfacroty 1.jpg|Family-owned hat factory in Montevarchi, Italy, date unknown File:A customer tries on a new hat in the millinery department of Bourne and Hollingsworth on London's Oxford Street in 1942. D6596.jpg|Millinery department of Bourne & Hollingsworth, in London's Oxford Street in 1942. Unlike most other clothing, hats were not strictly rationed in wartime Britain and there was an explosion of adventurous millinery styles. File:John Paul II Medal of Freedom 2004.jpg|John Paul II wearing a zucchetto File:Hat MET 1988.342.1a.jpg|17th century openwork hat Metropolitan Museum of Art File:Woman with hat in red dress, North Beach SF.jpg|Classic wide-brimmed Western hat crafted in felt, North Beach, San Francisco
References
References
- Pauline Thomas. (2007-09-08). "The Wearing of Hats Fashion History". Fashion-era.com.
- "The social meanings of hats". University of Chicago Press.
- "Insignia:The Way You Tell Who's Who in the Military". [[United States Department of Defense]].
- "What are Church Hats?". [[Southern Living]].
- "BBC News {{!}} SCI/TECH {{!}} World's oldest hat revealed".
- Davis, Nicola. (30 August 2016). "It becometh the iceman: clothing study reveals stylish secrets of leather-loving ancient". [[The Guardian]].
- Romey, Kristin. (18 August 2016). "Here's What the Iceman Was Wearing When He Died 5,300 Years Ago". [[National Geographic]].
- (18 August 2016). "A whole mitochondria analysis of the Tyrolean Iceman's leather provides insights into the animal sources of Copper Age clothing". [[Scientific Reports]].
- (2004). "The Tollund Man – Appearance".
- "History of Hats". Hatsandcaps.co.uk.
- Waldman, Katy. (2013-10-17). "The history of the witch's hat". Slate.com.
- Johnston, Ruth A.. (2011). ["All Things Medieval: An Encyclopedia of the Medieval World"]({{Google books). ABC-CLIO.
- Vibbert, Marie, ''Headdresses of the 14th and 15th Centuries,'' No. 133, SCA monograph series (August 2006)
- "Hat history". Hatsuk.com.
- "History of Women's Hats". Vintagefashionguild.org.
- Lauren Turner. (2012-06-21). "New dress code a hit at Ascots' Ladies Day". Independent.co.uk.
- (2012-04-28). "Hats in History: The Kentucky Derby". Hats-plus.com.
- (3 October 2011). "Millinery Madness: Hat Makers With Attitude".
- See Whitbourn, F.: 'Mr Lock of St James's St Heinemann, 1971.
- (30 March 2016). "Centuries of hats".
- For an account of the Sharp family's hat-making business, see Knapman, D. – 'Conversation Sharp – The Biography of a London Gentleman, [[Richard Sharp (politician). Richard Sharp]] (1759–1835), in Letters, Prose and Verse'. [Private Publication, 2004]. British Library.
- "Brussels life". Brusselslife.be.
- (5 April 2001). "Philip Treacy 'Hatforms' at IMMA Thursday". [[Raidió Teilifís Éireann]].
- [http://www.independent.ie/world-news/royal-wedding/philip-treacy-king-of-royal-wedding-hats-2633003.html Philip Treacy: King of Royal wedding hats] {{Webarchive. link. (2011-08-31 ''Irish Independent'', 2011-04-29)
- Snyder, Jeffrey B.. (1997). "Stetson Hats and the John B. Stetson Company 1865–1970". Schiffer.
- (22 June 2014). "Cavanagh Hats".
- ''Hats and Headwear around the World: A Cultural Encyclopedia'', Beverly Chico, ABC-CLIO, 03.10.2013, p. 155.
- (2011-02-08). "Neue Zürcher Zeitung FOLIO". Nzzfolio.ch.
- (4 December 2009). "Der Spiegel". Spiegel.de.
- (2011-11-23). "Philippi Collection". Philippi-collection.blogspot.com.
- Klinkenborg, Verlyn. (2009-02-03). "Season of the chullo". International Herald Tribune.
- (2011-10-20). "Malema under fire over slur on Indians". News24.
- link. (2008-01-26 ) or make a distinction between an offensive meaning in referring to "a person from the Indian subcontinent or of Indian descent" and an at least originally inoffensive, old-fashioned meaning, for example "''dated'' an unskilled native labourer in India, China, and some other Asian countries" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20161022011430/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/coolie Compact Oxford English Dictionary]). However, some dictionaries indicate that the word may be considered offensive in all contexts today. For example, [http://pewebdic2.cw.idm.fr/ Longman] {{webarchive). link. (2006-11-27 's 1995 edition had "''old-fashioned'' an unskilled worker who is paid very low wages, especially in parts of Asia", but the current version adds "''taboo old-fashioned'' a very offensive word ... Do not use this word".)
- Snyder, Jeffrey B.. (1997). "[[Stetson]] Hats and the John B. Stetson Company 1865–1970". Schiffer.
- "Helmet sizes". Enduroworld.com.au.
- "Hat, British, 17th century".
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