Description:
Man's black silk tall or top hat with a wool band and brim lined with white satin, 2" rolled brim, and with the label, "EXTRA QUALITY / JORDAN MARSH CO. / BOSTON" in the top of hat. The hat is inside leather hat box, HD 87.085.2. Black tall hats, which were made from dyed beaver fur, silk, or even palm leaf, gathered popularity during the early years of the 19th century and remained in vogue, in a variety of shapes and sizes, well into the 20th century. Jordan Marsh & Company (or Jordan Marsh) was a department store in Boston, Massachusetts, which grew to be a major regional chain in the New England area of the United States. In 1996, the last of the Jordan Marsh stores were converted to Macy's. In 1841, Eben Jordan left his job at a Boston dry goods store and went into business for himself laying the foundation for the first Jordan Marsh. Ten years later, Jordan partnered with Boston merchant Benjamin L. Marsh. They began by selling linen, silk, and other dry goods from Europe to wholesale customers in and around the city. As the business grew, it moved from one location to another, and in 1861, Jordan and Marsh decided to begin selling directly to the public. They acquired a brownstone building at 450 Washington Street, in the heart of what is still Boston's downtown shopping district. After the Civil War, Jordan and Marsh expanded into nearby buildings, offering an increasing quantity and variety of goods. Eventually the partners had established the nation’s first "departmentalized" store and called it Jordan Marsh and Company.. During the second half of the 19th century, Eben Jordan's son, Jordan Jr., and a new partner named Edward Mitton took over the company, turning it into a modern department store. Jordan Marsh and Company, in addition to establishing the first department store, introduced the concept of “department shopping.” Jordan Marsh combined an elegant atmosphere with excellent personal service and a wide range of merchandise. With many different departments displaying wares from around the world, the store drew shoppers from the city as well from the growing "streetcar suburbs." Once at the store, consumers could do more than just shop. Jordan Marsh offered fashion shows, a bakery famous for its blueberry muffins, art exhibitions, and afternoon concerts. Acording to the donor, the hat may have belonged to Charles Richards who lived in Boston, fought in the Civil War, and whose father worked on the "U.S. Constitution" in 1820 when it was rebuilt. Richards was a cousin of Laura Mattoon who was the founder of Camp Kehonka in 1902, one of the first two summer camps for girls in the country.
Label Text:
By the turn of the 19th century, the fashionable man’s hat became taller and more slender. These tall, or top, hats were made from dyed beaver fur, silk, or even palm leaf. Crown height and silhouette shifted throughout much of the century, as did the width of the brim. All, however, have in common an inherent, if impractical, luxury.
Subjects:
Textile fabrics; Silk; Wool Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+87.085.1 |
