Early Hats

[Pawnee Bill]

I brought this hat over from the stampede string post, it's one of my favorites. There was a write up in this months True West that pretty much authenticates that this photo was made in 1868, and that these boys were in fact Texas Rangers. If you get that magazine you will find the article in "letters to the editor" section. There is a close up of the hat on the stampede string forum, if you want to get a closer look.

Bill

I don't want to raise no fuss but that is a Buillion hat cord with tassels not a stampede string.
CHEERS
pAWNEE bILL

[Pitspitr]

but I don't really see much if any slope in any of them,

[Ottawa Creek Bill]

Pawnee,
Your right!! I've also heard them reffered to as Bonnet Strings as well, especially during the Civil War era, but isn't that a nice hat? Pawnee, I wasn't reffering to the tasels, if you'll look at my original photo, I've marked the area of where the hat string goes around his knee........Bill

Jerry,
It does look like it has a slope, it would be nice to see it from the side or at an angle...but it sure does look like it.

Bill

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[French Jack]

Pawnee Bill, you're correct.  The tassels hanging down are from the hat cord.  The stampede string if that is what you want to call it is barely visible behind the hat brim on his leg.   

[Ottawa Creek Bill]

Jerry,
Heres an enlargement of the image. It sure is a slope, but with the amount of different hat shapes in that group, Its too bad we can see it at anothere angle to see if there are anymore dents iin it. But it is still a long way from the dreaded "Gus".

E Pluribus Unum

Did you notice the quantity of unusually large ears in that group?

Bill

[Delmonico]

The name needs to be changed to "The Broken Trail" hat.   For those who use Hollywood as a referance at least.


Since most hats look like they have been beat-up and used hard, I offer this service fer a nominal fee.   

[Pawnee Bill]

Pawnee Bill, you're correct.  The tassels hanging down are from the hat cord.  The stampede string if that is what you want to call it is barely visible behind the hat brim on his leg.   

Bill
 That is in fact a great hat . I had never seen that image before think I'm going to make one of those up it's just to Kool for school.
 On to the " dent" many if not most 19th century cowboy hats are soft and not laquered they will aquire dent in most imaginable places.
Cheers
Pawnee Bill

[RRio]

This crease is the one that looks like my hat.

[Pitspitr]

Its too bad we can see it at anothere angle to see if there are anymore dents iin it. But it is still a long way from the dreaded "Gus".  Did you notice the quantity of unusually large ears in that group?

I agree,I wondered if it had the same dent in the back.
You know, I did notice the big ears. I also noticed some faces that look very familiar. Ansley is about 26 miles south of where I live and alot of the families in this area have been here since their ancestors homesteaded. I wish we had some of the names that go with those faces! One of the boys in that picture is a dead ringer for one of my daughter's classmates.

[Delmonico]

There is no way that hat does not have some slope to it, I've shaped to many hats over the years to not see it. 

[Pawnee Bill]

There is no way that hat does not have some slope to it, I've shaped to many hats over the years to not see it. 

But then there is the additional question of is the dent incedental or purpose made.?
Cheers
Pawnee Bill

[Delmonico]

The one Rawhide Rio shows is not accidental.

[Pawnee Bill]

The one Rawhide Rio shows is not accidental.

I'll have to agree I was looking at an other pic.
 Is this pic reliably dated?
Cheers
Pawnee Bill

[Delmonico]

Yes, it's out of the Solomon Butcher collection, he dated them and kept some notes because he was trying to preserve history.  The picture is scanned from an 8X10 glass negative.

[Pawnee Bill]

Yes, it's out of the Solomon Butcher collection, he dated them and kept some notes because he was trying to preserve history.  The picture is scanned from an 8X10 glass negative.

Thank you for the information I'll check it out.
 now I have a lead to follow . Thanks for your effort.
Cheers
Pawnee Bill

[Pitspitr]

Thank you for the information I'll check it out.
 now I have a lead to follow . Thanks for your effort.
Cheers
Pawnee Bill

Bill I think you can use the Butcher collection as primary documentation. Butcher's notes were extensive and I doubt the Smithsonian wouldn't be using them the way they are if they didn't consider them pretty authoritative.

[Ottawa Creek Bill]

Boys,
the more I look at that hat in the blow-up the more it looks like a hole, as if it was slammed down on someting that had a dull point!!

If you look real close it actually has a flat bottom to the dent, and there seems to be what is a crack in the felt on the left hand side bottom of the hole.

At first I thought it might be on the photograph but on further examination it is actually in the hat itself.....??

I'll bet that dent (if it didn't have the crack in it) would hold about a quart of coffee...

Bill

[Pitspitr]

You know, I think it's probably where a small mortar round landed. Man think what that would have done to his head if he weren't wearing the hat. If we had the hat for closer examination we could probably determine the distance from the hat to the mortar and it's trajectory. 

[Delmonico]

Pawnee Bill, if you don't have it the link to the collection is:

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award98/nbhihtml/pshome.html

Pitspiter and I kind of like the whole collection, many are taken near his home and that is also my favorite place in the whole world.  Nice views with no durn mountians or trees to ruin the view.   

[Kaycee]

Have any of you seen this photo. It was in the March issue of True West.  I like the hat on the man on the left.

KC