Woman's Ostrich Feather Hat
Woman's Ostrich Feather Hat
Usage conditions apply
- Description
- Dating from 1910-1912, this woman's hat is trimmed with ostrich plumes. At the end of the nineteenth century, there was an ever increasing demand by hat makers for plumes, especially ostrich, to decorate women's millinery. With new legislative restrictions on hunting wild birds for fashion, ostrich farming became a successful enterprise in California, Arizona, Texas, Arkansas, and Florida in the 1880s so that feathers could be clipped from the farmed birds to satisfy the American demands for hat making using ostrich feathers.
- This hat is made of ivory silk and trimmed with plumes of a pale ivory shade. The underside of the hat brim is covered with black silk velvet. The ostrich plumes were extended by tying on barbs cut from other ostrich plumes. It measures 8.9 inches by 18.3 inches by 15.9 inches overall.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Object Name
- hat
- Date made
- 1910-1912
- Physical Description
- silk (part material)
- feathers (part material)
- Measurements
- overall: 225 mm x 465 mm x 405 mm; 8 7/8 in x 18 5/16 in x 15 15/16 in
- ID Number
- 1972.299884.008
- accession number
- 299884
- catalog number
- 299884.8
- Credit Line
- Gift of Mrs. Alice Matthew Terry Love
- subject
- Feathers
- See more items in
- Cultural and Community Life: Costume
- National Treasures exhibit
- Clothing & Accessories
- Government, Politics, and Reform
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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