Flexo Band Cool Cap Miner’s Cap

Flexo Band Cool Cap Miner’s Cap

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Description (Brief)
This is a Flexo Band Cool Cap. The Flexo Band Cool Cap was patented by Albert A. Strauss around 1933. The cap is made of reinforced leather with a dome comprised of upstanding ribs allowing for protection and ventilation. The Flexo Band Cool Cap was often colloquially referred to as a "turtle shell" helmet, due to its distinctive style. The Flexo Band Cool Cap was distributed by a few different companies during the 20th century, including the MSA Company and the Portable Lamp and Equipment Company. The leather and metal lamp bracket is attached to the front of the cap. The bracket could have held an oil-wick lamp or a carbide lamp.
Location
Currently not on view
Object Name
helmet, mining
Measurements
overall: 6 in x 8 in; 15.24 cm x 20.32 cm
ID Number
AG.MHI-MN-8181D
accession number
239148
catalog number
MHI-MN-8181D
Credit Line
Mary R. Wheat
See more items in
Work and Industry: Mining
Work
Industry & Manufacturing
Natural Resources
Mining Helmets
Data Source
National Museum of American History
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Comments

"i also have a Cool Cap that is too small for an adult man's head. I used it in talks at the EcoTarium in Worcester, MA. There's a huge lump of coal on display there, and I wanted to talk about the lives of the "Breaker Boys ". By the 1930s it was illegal to employ children in the mines. But I think our Cool Caps suggest they were still there. The cap I have fit 1st and second graders in my audiences."

Maureen McConnell

Tue, 2016-01-26 21:22

"I was wondering , i have a hat just like this but it appears to be very small. I was wanting to know if this could be made for a child maybe that worked in the mines back then?"

LIBBY ODHAM

Wed, 2015-02-11 19:54

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