labricoleuse | Hat museum archives, Stockport, UK

I've posted before about the hat museum in Stockport, UK, from the perspective of a museum visitor (Reader's Digest version: well worth the trip for anyone who loves hats), but this year, i returned as a scholar.

The museum has an archive of hat resources and a study room, which you may peruse by appointment. I did exactly that last week, and had a fantastic experience poring over old documents, reference books, catalogues and the like.

The archive is not huge--25 archival boxes, a row of hanging files, and a full cabinet of books and periodicals--and largely pertains to the historical hatting industry in the UK, with minor sections on other European countries. The information mostly pertains to mens hat production as opposed to ladies millinery, and it was extensive enough to keep me busy for a full 7-hour day (the museum was open from 10am-5pm).

I spent the majority of my time sifting through loose documents stored in archival boxes--these are sorted generally by subject but not taxonomized. For example, a box might be described as "industrial equipment and tools" and all the papers and catalogues inside pertain to that topic. So, from a researcher's perspective, if you have specific areas of interest, it's easy to determine which boxes might contain items of relevance to your research.

Once you open a box, the documents inside are not yet catalogued or databased. One of the curatorial assistants said they had plans to do so, but as with all institutions time and money were short. I didn't mind this though--there's something more like a treasure hunt about sifting through such things, and the nature of serendipity can provide the opportunity to chance upon something randomly fantastic that you might not have otherwise found, had you just gone directly to the document you needed.

The station in the research room where I spent my day.

Sample page from one of the antique catalogue documents I consulted.

I have a few pet areas of interest that i'd hoped to find information on, and was successful on all counts (though to greater and lesser degrees). I found information on dyeing processes for wool felt and straw, on the history of blocked hats, and my pet favorite, historical hat sizing recipes! Here are just a few selections from my notes:

In 1820, Josiah Wilson, a hatter whose shop was located at Broadway and Wall in NYC, was the first to order a set of oval hatblocks (before that they were all round).

Personality reveals itself especially in headwear. The man of spirit rebels against the universal attempt of society to make all men look and act alike. To wear a hat in your own manner, at your own angle, is to throw down the auntlet to the bourgeoisie and say "Behold! As I now cover my thinkery with a hat different from the one you prescribe, so do I think thoughts that are to you impossible." It is with the hat that we bestow homage, placate our enemies, or affront our foes.[...] Personality first reveals itself in the hat. It is a secondary sex-manifestation; and what the comb and wattles are to the cock o' the walk, the hat is to the man. --Elbert Hubbard

Spirit Stiffening Recipe #2:
4 parts shellac
1 part mastic
1/2 part turpentine
5 parts alcohol
Combine all ingredients with no heat.

At the end of the day, I wound up with a pile of notes containing lot of relevant info, fun facts, and leads on new sources for various areas of interest. In short, if you are at all a scholar of hat history, it's definitely worth checking out! Call or email ahead to make an appointment, at the info on their website.