Images(2)

Hat

Date1806-1827

Artist/Maker Philip Heitshu & Son

OriginAmerica, Pennsylvania, Lancaster

MediumFelted fur or wool; silk lining; wove paper label.

DimensionsDiam: 20 1/2"; crown 5/8" high.

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1992-227

DescriptionLarge flat, circular hat of taupe/grey felted fur or wool. Hat has shallow, 5/8" raised crown with 1" cream-color satin ribbon (fragile). Pairs of braided laces are tied into brim on each side in parallel rows. Crown is lined with thin tabby silk. Rectangular printed label glued to lining reads as described under "Marks."Label TextAlthough the style of this hat looks eighteenth century, it was made in the nineteenth century. The label glued to the crown lining identifies the maker as Philip Heitshu, son of a German immigrant to Philadelphia. After a period of time spent in Loudoun County, Virginia, Heitshu moved to Lancaster, Pannsylvania, in 1806 and opened a hat manufactory. He retired from the business in 1827. The hat was made for the conservative Lancaster community in an earlier style.Mark(s)Paper label reads: "Manufactured by Philip Heitshu & Son, North Queen Street, Lancaster."