A collection of 18th and 19th centuries men's beaver felt hatsWoman 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.[1] 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.[2] In the military, hats may denote nationality, branch of service, rank or regiment.[3] 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. 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.[4]
History
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.[5] 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.[6][7][8]
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.
Hats as an indicator of social status: a 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.[9]
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.[11] The hats were usually yellow and were either pointed or square.[12]
Carle Vernet's 1796 painting showing two decadent French "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,[13] and denoted social status. Structured hats for women similar to those of male courtiers began to be worn in the late 16th century.[14] 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.[15]
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.[14]
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.[16] This tradition was adopted at other horse racing events, such as the Kentucky Derby in the United States.[17]
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.[18]
In Western societies, it has been traditional for men to remove their hats when entering a Christian church—a practice derived from 1 Corinthians 11 in the Bible.[19][20][21] On the other hand, women historically were required to wear a headcovering when entering a church (a practice that decreased in the West in the 1960s, though it still occurs in the East).[A][24][25][26] Historically, men in Western Christian societies removed their hat when entering a room where women were present, as well as when a national flag is paraded. Men traditionally remove their hats when a funeral passes through an area in which they are present.[27]
Who uncovered for whom marked the social hierarchy and whose authority was recognized or not.[28]
Until World War I, it was customary for women to wear a cap on her head, and women were rarely seen in public without one.[29]
Parts
Hats are very varied, but the parts of many hats can be described as the crown, the top section; the brim, a projecting rim around the hat below the crown; and often a band or hatband wrapped around the crown just above the brim.
The Philippi Collection is a collection of religious headgear assembled by a German entrepreneur, Dieter Philippi, located in Kirkel.[39] The collection features over 500 hats,[40] and is currently the world's largest collection of clerical, ecclesiastical and religious head coverings.[41]
A brimless cap, made from triangular panels of material joined by a button at the crown and seamed together around the sides, with or without a small visor, once popular among schoolboys. Sometimes includes a propeller. In New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom and some parts of the United States, beanie refers to the knit cap.
The tall, furry hat of the Brigade of Guards' full-dress uniform, originally designed to protect them against sword-cuts, etc. Commonly seen at Buckingham Palace in London, England. Sometimes mistakenly identified as a busby.
A soft, round cap, usually of woollen felt, with a bulging flat crown and tight-fitting brimless headband. Worn by both men and women and traditionally associated with Basque people, France, and the military.
A broad-brimmed, felt hat with brim folded up and pinned front and back to create a long-horned shape. Also known as a cocked hat. Worn by European military officers in the 1790s and, as illustrated, commonly associated with Napoleon.
A hard, felt hat with a rounded crown, created in 1850 by Lock's of St James's, the hatters to Thomas Coke, 2nd Earl of Leicester, for his servants. More commonly known as a derby in the United States.
A conical straw hat associated with East and Southeast Asia. Sometimes known as a "coolie hat", although the term "coolie" may be interpreted as derogatory.[43][44]
A hat of the indigenous peoples of the Appalachian region, fashioned from the skin and fur of a raccoon, that became associated with Canadian and American frontiersmen of the 18th and 19th centuries
A high-crowned, wide-brimmed hat, with a sweatband on the inside, and a decorative hat band on the outside. Early models such as the Boss of the Plains could be customized by creasing the crown and rolling the brim.[45]
A warm, close-fitting tweed cap, with brims front and behind and ear-flaps that can be tied together either over the crown or under the chin. Originally designed for use while hunting in the climate of Scotland. Worn by – and so closely associated with – the character Sherlock Holmes.
A rounded, rigid helmet with a small brim, predominantly used in workplace environments, such as construction sites, to protect the head from injury by falling objects, debris and bad weather
A semi-formal hat of fur felt, with a single dent running down the centre of the crown, a wide silk grosgrain hatband ribbon, a flat brim shaped in a "pencil curl", and a ribbon-bound trim about the edge of the brim (Winston Churchill wearing a homburg)
A hemispherical cap worn by Jews to fulfill the customary requirement held by halachic authorities that the head be covered at all times (IDF soldier, Lt. Asael Lubotzky, prays with kippah and tefillin.)
A knitted hat, worn in winter, usually made from wool or acrylic. In New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom and some parts of the United States, the term beanie is applied to this cap, while in Canada it is known as a tuque.
A soft conical cap, pulled forward. In sculpture, paintings and caricatures it represents freedom and the pursuit of liberty. The popular cartoon characters the Smurfs wear white or red Phrygian caps.
Also known as a beaver hat, a magician's hat, or, in the case of the tallest examples, a stovepipe hat. A tall, flat-crowned, cylindrical hat worn by men in the 19th and early 20th centuries, now worn only with morning dress or evening dress. Cartoon characters Uncle Sam and Mr. Monopoly are often depicted wearing such hats. Once made from felted beaver fur.
A soft hat with a low crown and broad brim, pinned up on either side of the head and at the back, producing a triangular shape. Worn by Europeans in the 18th century. Larger, taller, and heavily ornamented brims were present in France and the Papal States.
Skullcap worn by clerics, typically in Roman Catholicism and Evangelical-Lutheranism
Size
Hat sizes are determined by measuring the circumference of a person's head about 1 centimetre (2⁄5in) 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.[46]
Hat sizes
size
Youth S/M
Youth L/XL
XXS
XS
S
M
L
XL
XXL
XXXL
Age (years)
0
1⁄2
1
1+1⁄2
2
Circumference in cm
34
43
47
48
49
50
51–52
53–54
55–56
57–58
59–60
61–62
63–64
65–66
Circumference in inches
13+3⁄8
17
18+1⁄2
18+3⁄4
19+1⁄4
19+3⁄4
20+1⁄8–20+1⁄2
20+5⁄8–21+1⁄4
21+5⁄8–22
221⁄2–227⁄8
231⁄4–235⁄8
24–243⁄8
243⁄4–251⁄4
25–26
UK hat size
5
53⁄4
6–61⁄8
61⁄4–63⁄8
61⁄2–65⁄8
63⁄4–67⁄8
7–71⁄8
71⁄4–73⁄8
71⁄2–75⁄8
73⁄4–77⁄8
8–81⁄8
US hat size
57⁄8
6
61⁄8
61⁄4
63⁄8–61⁄2
65⁄8–63⁄4
67⁄8–7
71⁄8–71⁄4
73⁄8–71⁄2
75⁄8–73⁄4
77⁄8–8
81⁄8–81⁄4
French hat size
0
1⁄2
1
11⁄2
2–21⁄2
3–31⁄2
4–41⁄2
5–51⁄2
6–61⁄2
7–71⁄2
8–81⁄2
9–91⁄2
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 π (the multiplier to give circumference from diameter) is almost exactly 8.
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.
New York City, 1918: A large crowd of people, almost all wearing hats
Family-owned hat factory in Montevarchi, Italy, date unknown
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.
↑"What are Church Hats?". Southern Living. Southern Living. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2022. Church hats have been a key part of churchgoers' Sunday best for years, and are still an important aspect of dress in some churches today. The practice of covering one's head for church originally came from the Bible—1 Corinthians 11:15, to be precise. The simple head covering has been adapted and expanded to become a stylish part of Southern women's churchgoing attire. At the turn of the century, many Southern ladies wore simple hats to church out of respect, reverence for the service, and continuity with passed-down traditions. The church hat tradition continues today, with hats—sometimes called crowns—in bright colors, bold patterns, and eye-catching styles at Sunday services across the South.
↑Yarborough, Kaitlyn (20 May 2022). "How To Know When It's Rude To Wear Your Hat Indoors, According to Etiquette". Southern Living. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023. Hat etiquette also has roots in Christianity, as it's long been considered customary for men to remove their hats upon entering a church. As we all know, however, church hats are a historic tradition for women to wear in the South.
↑Neusner, Jacob; Armistead, M. Kathryn (2010). Introduction to World Religions: Communities and Cultures. Abingdon Press. ISBN978-1-4267-1976-9. In most forms of Christianity, however, men remove their hats as a sign of deference to the deity. The bareheadedness derives from the comments of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:4 that "a man who keeps his head covered when he prays or prophesies brings shame upon his head" (NEB).
↑Willis, J. J. (1925). An African Church in Building. Church Missionary Society. p.117. In itself a church is as other buildings are; it is built of common bricks and stone, and common wood. Yet men remove their hats as they enter, speak in hushed tones, and move in reverent silence.
↑Beane, Larry (27 February 2024). "On Headcoverings". Gottesdienst: The Journal of Lutheran Liturgy. Archived from the original on 15 January 2025. Retrieved 14 September 2025. This is a trend that is not limited to Lutheran Christianity, but is seen in all of the historical communions, as well as among some Reformed and Anabaptist groups (in the case of various sects of Anabaptists, like Mennonites and Amish, women have been covering their heads - and not just in worship - for centuries). There is a small but stubborn resurgence of this practice.
↑Hunt, Margaret (2014). Women in Eighteenth Century Europe. Taylor & Francis. p.58. ISBN9781317883876. Today many people associate rules about veiling and headscarves with the Muslim world, but in the eighteenth century they were common among Christians as well, in line with 1 Corinthians 11:4-13 which appears not only to prescribe headcoverings for any women who prays or goes to church, but explicitly to associate it with female subordination, which Islamic veiling traditions do not typically do. Many Christian women wore a head-covering all the time, and certainly when they went outside; those who did not would have been barred from church and likely harassed on the street. ... Veils were, of course, required for Catholic nuns, and a veil that actually obscured the face was also a mark of elite status throughout most of Europe. Spanish noblewomen wore them well into the eighteenth century, and so did Venetian women, both elites and non-elites. Across Europe almost any woman who could afford them also wore them to travel.
↑Toops, Stanley W.; Peterson, Mark Allen; Anderson, Sheldon (2018). International Studies: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Global Issues. Routledge. ISBN978-0-429-97478-6. In European history, Christian women wore veils or other head coverings in church, in accordance with a biblical injunction (1 Corinthians 11:4–10).
↑Hathaway, Helen (1928). Manners: American Etiquette. E.P. Dutton. p.38.
↑Anderson, Cory; Anderson, Jennifer (2019). Fitted to Holiness: How Modesty is Achieved and Compromised among the Plain People. Millersburg: Acorn Publishing. p.129. Throughout the nineteenth century, hats were a cultural necessity; women were never seen in public without one. Up until World War I, a woman slipped on a white cap immediately upon arising, unless she was in mourning, and some type of hat or bonnet was worn every time she left the house.
↑See Whitbourn, F.: 'Mr Lock of St James's St Heinemann, 1971.
↑For an account of the Sharp family's hat-making business, see Knapman, D. – 'Conversation Sharp – The Biography of a London Gentleman, Richard Sharp (1759–1835), in Letters, Prose and Verse'. [Private Publication, 2004]. British Library.
↑"Brussels life". Brusselslife.be. Archived from the original on 2025-02-21. Retrieved 2013-04-15.
↑Smoltczyk, Alexander (4 December 2009). "Der Spiegel". Spiegel.de. Archived from the original on 2011-12-17. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
↑"Philippi Collection". Philippi-collection.blogspot.com. 2011-11-23. Archived from the original on 2025-01-16. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
↑Klinkenborg, Verlyn (2009-02-03). "Season of the chullo". International Herald Tribune. Archived from the original on January 30, 2009. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
↑Most current dictionaries do not record any offensive meaning ("an unskilled laborer or porter usually in or from India hired for low or subsistence wages" Merriam-WebsterArchived 2008-01-26 at the Wayback Machine) 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" (Compact Oxford English Dictionary). However, some dictionaries indicate that the word may be considered offensive in all contexts today. For example, LongmanArchived 2006-11-27 at the Wayback Machine'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. Atglen: Schiffer. p.5. ISBN0-7643-0211-6.
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