Bollman Hat Company

Bollman Hat Company digs deep into the annals of its history to capture and commemorate this long forgotten style. The Wide Awake hat was inspired by the paramilitary campaign organization of the 1860s. The Wide Awakes, affiliated with the Republican Party during the 1860 election, supported Abraham Lincoln and the Union while strongly opposing slavery. The Wide Awakes were well-drilled and served as political police in escorting party speakers and in preserving order at party demonstrations and had over 400,000 estimated members. The standard Wide Awake uniform consisted of a full robe or cape, a torch, and of course the black hat for which we pay tribute. The Bollman Hat Company produced this hat and all of their hats in black only when George Bollman and Isaac Sowers first opened their hat factory in Adamstown, Pennsylvania in 1868. This hat comes in a special edition Bollman Heritage Hat Box.

The Bollman Hat Company was founded in 1868, when George Bollman and Isaac Sowers and sixty employees began production at a former distillery on Main Street in Adamstown. The Companys first hats were made within three years of the end of the Civil War in the United States which was fought between April 12, 1861 and April 9, 1865. Railroads advertised land for sale in ladies magazines, such as Godeys, and people headed west. By 1869, anyone could travel from one coast to the other by railroad. Immigrants flooded Americas shores after the Civil War looking for freedom, a better life, and their fortune. In these early days, Bollman himself brought hats to the rail stations on a cart pulled by his horse Lemon.During the 1860s womens fashion featured hoop skirts and bonnets. At the height of its popularity, the hoop skirt reached a maximum width of six feet! The sewing machine allowed dress makers to produce more pieces at cheaper costs and new dyes provided for brighter colors. Bonnets took on an oval shape with an open upraised mid point in the center front. Our first hats were produced in this decade starting with black wool felt. This basic black bonnet with binding represents a modest look for a modest Bollman Hat Company beginning. This hat comes in a special edition Bollman Heritage Hat Box.

The Fez came of age in the 1870s with the foundation of the Freemasons. On June 16, 1871, the original Thirteen Masons organized the first Shrine Temple - which they named "Mecca" - at Nickerbocker College on 6th Avenue. And in maintaining the Near East theme, these first Shriners chose to denote their exclusivity with the Fez. The notable red Fez with its black tassel became the Shrines official headgear, and has since been handed down through the ages. The Bollman Hat Company produced thousands of felt Fezzes since the 1870s that have been worn by famous Shriners including Presidents Harry Truman and Gerald Ford, General Douglas MacArthur and Chief Justice Earl Warren. Fezzes may be old, but theyre cool now, whether youre a time traveling alien, the President of the United States, or an ordinary human. This hat comes in a special edition Bollman Heritage Hat Box.

Business grew steadily for George Bollman since founding the company in 1868. In 1874, George bought out his partner, Isaac Sowers. In 1875, George purchased twenty two acres of land at a total cost of $2,200. Many inventions were introduced throughout the 1870s such as the typewriter, telephone, vacuum cleaner, phonograph and the electric light bulb. These, and other products of the Industrial Revolution, resulted in a growing economy that supported a little extravagance. In 1878, fire destroyed the building that Mr. Bollman purchased in 1875. A building was rented immediately so operations could continue while a new building was erected later in the same year.Bustle dresses came in at the end of the 1860s and remained in style throughout the 1870s. The jacket-like bodices were worn with large skirts that were folded and ruffled. Small hats and bonnets continued to be in style because of the large twist hairstyles. The spoon hat became popular later in the 1870s featuring a shallow, spoon shape crown and a wide brim. Our spoon is a chestnut brown color with a fabric flower ornament and a velvet band. This hat comes in a special edition Bollman Heritage Hat Box.

The top hat caused a riot the first time it was seen on the streets of London. The perpetrating "haberdasher" was John Hetherington, the hats designer, who first adorned the style publicly in 1797. According to a contemporary newspaper account, passersby panicked at the sight and ran in terror. Hetherington was hauled into court for wearing "a tall structure having a shining luster calculated to frighten timid people." He was fined 500. By the 1880s, the top hat was worn by men of every station in life for daily and formal wear without fear of fines. The Bollman Hat Company shaped these hats on five-piece wooden blocks which were cured in ovens. Bollmans "hour glass" shapes are still hand blocked and cured in this method today. This hat comes in a special edition Bollman Heritage Box.

The Bollman Hat Company continued to grow in size and production in the 1880s as did taller crowns for womens hats. The 1880s also witnessed creation of the Brooklyn Bridge and the very first skyscraper in Chicago. Kodak camera and film were also introduced by George Eastman in this decade. President James A. Garfield was assassinated in 1881 by Charles J. Guiteau, a rejected and disillusioned Federal office seeker.The slimmer silhouette fashion continued into the early 1880s and by the mid-1880s the bustle dress made its resurgence appearing bigger than ever. The bustle grew smaller by the end of the decade and the skirt draperies disappeared. As the bustle decreased in size, the size of the upper arm sleeve increased. Hats grew larger with taller crowns and were worn for all different occasions. For example, a dapper top hat like the Equestrian, paired with tulle or a silk scarf, was popular for riding. We selected this equestrian hat in burgundy with matching grosgrain band and binding to represent this decade. This hat comes in a special edition Bollman Heritage Hat Box.

The bowler hat was designed by the hatters James and George Lock in the central London district of St. James around 1676. The Locks sent their design to hatmakers Thomas and William Bowler, who produced a prototype of the hat and renamed it The Bowler. Peaking in popularity towards the end of the 19th century, the style offered some middle ground between the formality of the top hat associated with upper classes, and the casual nature of soft flat hats worn by working classes. As the traditional headwear of gentlemen, the bowler has become something of an English cultural icon. Back in the states, the Bollman Hat Company has consistently produced the timeless Bowler/Derby style throughout its 140 years of operation, in catering to a demand that has endured for decades. This hat comes in a special edition Bollman Heritage Hat Box.

George Bollmans son, George W. Bollman, joined his father in the business in 1897 at the age of twenty. More color and more ladies hats were going into production at the Bollman Factory during the 1890s. Womens clothing styles shed some of the extravagances of previous decades. Early 1890s dresses consisted of a tight bodice with the skirt gathered at the waist and falling more naturally over the hips than in previous years.During the mid-1890s, skirts took on an A-line silhouette that was almost bell-like. The late 1890s returned to the tighter sleeves often with small puffs or ruffles capping the shoulder but fitted to the wrist. Skirts took on a trumpet shape, fitting more closely over the hip and flaring just above the knee. Corsets in the 1890s helped define the hourglass figure. The corset was painful to wear. Some women would starve themselves to get to a sixteen inch waist. The flat-top, wide-brim style demonstrated in this Boater was the perfect accent for these styles - a conservative shape with just the right amount of flair. A gold felt with a tonal fabric rosette with a matching band and a large ostrich feather elegantly match the style of this century. This hat comes in a special edition Bollman Heritage Hat Box.

Popularized in England by Edward VII after visiting Germany and bringing one back as a keepsake, the Homburg is one of the oldest formally-styled hats. As the King of England from 1901 to 1910, Edward was known as The Peacemaker for his efforts in fostering good relations between England and other European countries. Perhaps the Homburg was a perk of the Kings diplomatic successes, but the style enjoyed its own surprising success in Great Britain and in America. The Homburg resurfaced in the 1970s as the Godfather and eventually became an early staple of the hip-hop movement. The Bollman Hat Company contributed its own color and flair during each phase of the Homburgs evolution. This hat comes in a special edition Bollman Heritage Hatbox.

Our founder George Bollman died in 1900. His twenty three year old son, George W. Bollman, purchased the business from his mother soon thereafter. The elder George was born in 1838, founded the hat factory at age thirty and died at age sixty two. There were more than one hundred small hat factories in America and competition was fierce. Hat manufacturing in Adamstown was limited to summer and early fall months during this decade. George W. Bollman decided in 1905 to enter the hosiery manufacturing business to provide employment for the workers during the winter and spring months. In the early 1900s, womens fashion showed a confident and curvy look. The corset of this period removed pressure from the abdomen and created an S-curve silhouette.The Gibson Girl drawings were pen and ink illustrations by Charles Dana Gibson. These illustrations were often considered the first national standard of beauty for women. One of the trends that resulted from the drawings was an affinity for large-crowned, broad brimmed hats with elaborate decorations. The Bollman Gibson Girl illustrates this style with its high squared crown, wide brim, soft navy felt and showy lace hatband tied off in a bow with a matching cream color binding. This hat comes in a special edition Bollman Heritage Hat Box.

The 1910s saw the advent of a true piece of Americana in the Montana Peak Hat. Its popularity "peaked" on September 8th, 1911 when it was adopted by the United States Army. What began as a military standard has since become a symbol of both protection and conservation as uniforms of state troopers and park rangers nationwide. The Montana Peak has run the gamut from civic service to the great outdoors. And as the Great War loomed, the Bollman Hat Company produced these hats in abundance for the U.S. Army. These historical hats are still produced by Bollman today. This hat comes in a special edition Bollman Heritage Hat Box.

Nearly every man and woman wore a hat or cap every day during this time in American history. Despite the fact that hat wearing was so common, Bollman continued to supplement work for his employees with hosiery production at the Bollman owned Blue-Cross knitting mills in the off season. A 1910 picture of employees of this mill showed thirty five workers and their families including George W. and four of his five sons.During the early 1910s, the fashionable silhouette became much more soft and fluid than in the 1900s. During the years that World War I was fought, more women were forced to work outside the home and thus their fashion styles changed dramatically from past decades. Womens fashion demanded tailored suits and shirtwaists. Large hats with wide brims and broad hats with face-shadowing brims were the height of fashion before the outbreak of World War I in 1914. During the war, the styles gradually shrunk to smaller brimless hats like the Toque. This Toque in royal blue features a brushed finish and a brooch that matches the style for the 1910 decade. This hat comes in a special edition Bollman Heritage Hat Box.

The Roaring Twenties, as the decade is affectionately dubbed, saw an explosion of rich cultural activity, brought on by unprecedented economic prosperity. Gangsters, flappers, speakeasies, jazz and the Charleston were sweeping the nation. Fashion likewise grew by leaps and bounds during this time, as the public became less inhibited by prior social standards. The term Fedora was in use as early as 1891 but the style really took off in the Twenties, topping off mens fashion during a golden age. The Fedora featured a pinched crown with the brim turned down in the front and up in the back. The Bollman Hat Company produced mass quantities of fedoras and truly captured the exuberance of America at the time. This hat comes in a special edition Bollman Heritage Hat Box.

The flamboyance and fast times of the 1920s gave way to a somber climate in the 1930s, ushered in by the Stock Market Crash of 1929. A national crisis of unseen magnitude, the Great Depression instilled great character and fortitude in the American public. Amid difficult circumstances, fashion likewise evolved, with a more modestly-styled look befitting the national mood. The Bollman Hat Company produced The Trilby, toning down the wide brim and softening the sharp lines of the Fedora. The Trilby became the all purpose dress felt hat, cutting across class strata in America and Europe. To meet the demand, Bollman began carbonizing and scouring the wool used in felt hats during this decade. This hat comes in a special edition Bollman Heritage Hat Box.

Hat wearing continued to be part of the daily uniform of Americans in the 1930s. The Bollman Company expanded its vertical manufacturing capability in 1931 by starting its wool processing operation known as Bollman Carbonizing Company. 1930s America was marked by both serious turmoil and major change. Due to the plummeting of the stock market in 1929, the country quickly fell under an intense economic collapse known as the Great Depression. Unemployment in America grew to twenty five percent in 1933. Amidst the bedlam of drastic social changes were the technological advancements that allowed the field of aviation to enter new and exciting territory. While Lindbergh gained popularity for making the first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927, the country also fell in love with the second person to do so, Amelia Earhart.Womens fashion became more conservative in cut and color. The simple clean lines of the Aviator demonstrate the understated, less baroque designs influenced by the somber times of the Great Depression. At the same time, the hat still possesses an understated charm. The Bollman aviator style is soft and clean with a stick pearl pin to hold the hat in place. This hat comes in a special edition Bollman Heritage Hat Box.

A standard during Jazzs glory age, the Pork Pie gained relevance during a time of worldly transition, as evidenced by its growing popularity among celebrities and public figures. Physicist Robert Oppenheimer regularly wore a pork pie hat during his field studies. Jamaican ska artist Laurel Aitken even wrote the tune Give Me Back My Pork Pie Hat as a tribute.Its namesake inspired by the British delicacy, the Pork Pies distinctive dents around the crown and low flat top was a comfortable look in an unsettling time. Dozens of Bollman Hat Company employees gave their lives serving their country in World War II. Many of their letters home have been preserved and hang in the hall of the Companys main office today. This hat comes in a special edition Bollman Heritage Hat Box.

When George W. Bollman died in 1940, he had five sons (George C., Fred, Paul, Richard and Daniel) who would all enter and run the hat company. On December 7th, 1941, the course of American history would change forever. That day, Japanese pilots swarmed Pearl Harbor, killing 2,402 U.S. Navy seamen and provoking the United States to enter World War II. Millions of men either chose or were drafted into the military to fight Germany and its allies in the war. The Bollman Company kept in contact with those employees serving in the military. The Bollman family provided regular updates to the workforce at home on those lost in action, in captivity, injured and those returning home. Some of these letters have been preserved and hang in the hall of the Companys main office today.Due to the swift deployment of so many men to Europe and other war zones, America saw women enter the work force in numbers like it had never seen before. A 1942 song called "Rosie the Riveter" by Redd Evans and John Jacob Loeb helped foster the image of strong women who worked on assembly lines. This eventually became a well-known symbol that showed up in magazines, advertisements, and on morale-boosting posters. The Rosie, like the icon of the same name, has uncomplicated, masculine elements blended with an air of feminine power. Many women still enjoyed fashionable attire during wartime, but while economic prosperity allowed for fancier designs, these were not overly ornamental pieces. The Rosie is a beautiful representation of the complex role of women in the 1940s. This hat comes in a special edition Bollman Heritage Hat Box.

The King of the Cowboys Roy Rogers was a famous singer and cowboy actor during the days of television. He and his third wife Dale Evans (the Queen of the West), his golden palomino Trigger, and his German Shepard Bullet, were featured in over one hundred movies and The Roy Rogers Show on both radio and television. In post-war America, Roy was the embodiment of the western hero. For the Bollman Hat Company, he was a champion of headwear on both the big and small screen. The beloved Rogers visited the Bollman factory in Adamstown, PA in 1960 to express his gratitude to Bollman Employees and the Adamstown community for providing him with his beloved western hats. Please note that this selection is not an exact replica of Roys "signature hat" style.

The Bollman Hat Company acquired several other hat companies during the 1950s including Merrimac Hats which had been among Americas largest hat makers. Postwar 1940s and the 1950s saw a shift back to more traditional values for women as men returned from war and took factory jobs for themselves. The size of the average American family grew dramatically. The conflict in Korea occurred during this period. The Civil Rights Movement and rock -n- roll were picking up speed in the 1950s. Still, this decade had the appearance of innocence as well as old-fashioned conformity.Beauty and etiquette were emphasized for women of society. One figure that became an absolute representation of this ideal was American actress, Grace Kelly. This hat has the same grace as its namesake. It has a wide brim shape and charming colors that make it extremely feminine while still having a restrained elegance. A beautiful ribbon hat band, which features a bow and tail on an off-white soft felt creates this quintessential 1950s womens hat. This hat comes in a special edition Bollman Heritage Hat Box.

Hippie values and fashion had a major effect on the 1960s culture, influencing politics, music, television, film, literature, and art. This decade witnessed political assassinations, liberation and a growing revolutionary sentiment. By the end of the decade, America had landed on the moon, rock music ruled the day, the psychedelic style was everywhere and the Bollman Hat Company was beginning its second hundred years. Long hair styles presented challenges to headwear fashion during this decade but the floppy brim style complemented the casual hippie look. A review of footage from the legendary concert Woodstock yields countless sightings of the style. This hat comes in a special edition Bollman Heritage Hat Box. *Each Hippie Hat is handmade and designed with an aged and distressed look. Variation will occur that may not be represented on the product picture. Please be aware of this before purchasing.

Bollman Hat Company celebrated its 100th year in the 1960s. With longer hair styles and the emergence of lower car roof lines, hatlessness in America created a challenging time for hat makers. The 1960s again saw America in great turmoil and social conflict. The Civil Rights Movement quickly became a nationwide focus and the Womens Liberation Movement caught fire with the publication of Betty Friedans The Feminine Mystique. This was also the era of rock -n- roll, the hippie counterculture, political turmoil and the Vietnam War. The assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 stunned America. While the country grieved the loss of the popular president, his widow provided inspiration to countless citizens. Throughout the horrible incident, Jackie Kennedy was a pillar of strength and poise.Sharp fashion sense was one of the manifestations of womens lib, featuring a variety of looks from seductive hem lines to carefree hippie to a tailored business look. The Jackie is a neat, stylish pillbox hat with a slightly recessed telescope crown and a brushed finish. The small pillbox style hat allowed women to still enjoy beautiful headwear despite the large hairstyles that were in vogue at the time. Later in the decade, womens fashions were colorful and, at times, provocative and expressive. This hat comes in a special edition Bollman Heritage Hat Box.

Known as the Me Decade, the 1970s strayed heavily from the socially-active movements of the Sixties, gravitating more towards eccentric lifestyles and pleasure-seeking patterns of behavior. Hard rock, pet rocks, glitter, platform shoes, disco, bell bottoms, and feminism ruled the era. Accordingly, Bollman made some of its most outlandish and extreme designs during this decadent decade. These were hats that screamed Look at me!, and most people looked. They featured bright colors, ornate trims and wild feathers. Often times, on par with the popular expressions of the day, the best sellers were the designs that looked the most eccentric and peculiar. Boogie on down! This hat comes in a special edition Bollman Heritage Hat Box.

Bollman Hat Company survived when many hat companies couldnt during the 1970s. This decade was not kind to the hat business until the urban cowboy boom in 1979. The hat companys ownership transitioned from the Bollman Family to management in 1974. Activism continued early in the 1970s but subsided with the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. Baby boomers turned their focus inward rather than on society as a whole. Watergate, the Iran hostage crisis, and soaring gas prices were just some of the events that led people to work on their own well-being rather than the nation?s problems. The "Me Generation" focused on things like individual spirituality, personal wealth and style.Certain art forms have the ability to sum up an entire decade in succinct, spot on representations of culture. Woody Allens Annie Hall is an excellent study of the nuances of the 1970s female. In the movie, Annie Halls wardrobe consisted of a tomboyish look that was topped off with a large-brimmed bowler. The need of many to find their own place in society led to unique fashion items similar to the Bollman Annie. This soft bowler puts a womens perspective on a classic mens hat shape. This hat comes in a special edition Bollman Heritage Hat Box.

The John Travolta movie Urban Cowboy was such a smash hit when released in 1980 that it kicked off a national trend for all things country and cowboy. Hats, boots, mechanical bull riding and line dancing surged into the vogue, along with Country and Western music. The hat industry boomed around this time as Cowboy Wannabes appeared in every town and city in America. Bollman was there again providing large crown western hats with feather and woven bands. When the Philadelphia Phillies paraded down Broad Street after winning the World Series in October of 1980, most members of the team proudly wore Bollman cowboy hats. This hat comes in a special edition Bollman Heritage Hat Box.