Lloyd's Treatise on Hats, with Twenty-Four Engravings / Containing Novel Delineations of His Various Shapes, Shewing the Manner in Which They Should Be Worn...

Turks are said to assign as a reason for not wearing Hats, that they are put together by witchcraft. There is certainly a great deal of ingenuity in the practice, and some effects produced whose causes are as yet unexplained: but, with all due deference to these turban gentlemen, it is presumed that they have objections beyond what is above stated, some of which are as follows:-First, their country is destitute of the most essential material-FUR. Second, the climate being extremely sultry, stoves, irons, and scalding water are not likely to become favourites. Thirdly, being compelled by their religion to keep their heads close shaved, a Hat, above all human inventions, would be the most ridiculous covering they could adopt.

There are many opinions as to the time Hats were first invented, and, very probably, all equally erroneous. Some carry the date as far back as the foundation of Christianity, attributing the merit to St. Luke, of whom it is said, that he, having tender feet, put a layer of hair or fur between them and his sandals, in which situation friction and moisture caused such an interweaving of particles, that the whole became strongly united, or (technically called) FELTED. Whether the story, as applied to Luke, be true or false, is immaterial; but that such did happen with some one, is very likely; nor is it at all unlikely, but that an occurrence of this kind did really give the first idea of Hat-making. Having remarked thus much, I shall next proceed to state, what is not the less true than surprising, which is, that of the various branches of manufacture which this country is so highly distinguished for, none are less understood than Hat-making; nay, there is not one person in fifty who, if he were asked the question, could tell whether a Hat was or was not a woven substance; nor is there one in 500 but what suppose that the skin of a hare or rabbit is worked with the fur attached to it, as in the natural state; and, to form a correct judgment of the external material, when manufactured, whether it be hair, wool, or beaver, although many pretend, none are really competent but those experienced in the trade.

To show the absurd notions some entertain on this matter, I state as a fact, that I do not know a manufacturer or seller in the trade but what has been applied to, by some one or other, to have a Beaver Hat made from a hare's skin. Nay, I remember once offending a very good customer, and a man not wanting for sense either, by an involuntary burst of laughter, on his presenting the skin of a French lap-dog for the very same purpose.

It is no uncommon thing for persons who are on pretty good terms with their capabilities to give opinions as to the merits or demerits of a Hat; which opinions are as opposite to the true state of the case as the sun's rays to a state of darkness. I shall give an instance, although a trifling one, of a very common error among persons who suppose themselves to have a knowledge of the subject, which is this, if the picker has not a very good eye, some of the larger hairs will be left in the Hat, and consequently the most visible; these are directly termed "grey hairs," when the truth is, that they are the blackest in the whole composition; but being thicker than the general mass, they receive a greater portion of light, which is mistaken for a grey colour: an easy method of proving the fact is to pull one of these grey hairs from the Hat, and place it on a piece of white paper, the contrast will decide the question.

Again, whatever produces a glutinization of the NAP, is said to be the effect of the stiffening; this is not true in every case, for it is frequently owing to improper management in placing the Hat, when wet, before a large fire, which should never be done; the better way is, if very wet, to hang it up without brushing or wiping, and when dry it is easily put to rights, by gently passing over a clothes brush: if only slightly wet, wipe it with a handkerchief, and, when dry, it will brush clean. But the great fault with most persons is to put on their Hats, day after day, in the same dirty state as when taken off at night; from which it is natural to infer, that there must be a vast accumulation of dirt; it is this dirt, when exposed to the rain, that forms a sort of cement, or paste, having all the appearance of what is commonly called "gum."

Another proof of erroneous judgment-Profuse perspiration of the head is what many are subject to; by reason of which, from the frequency of wearing, and the porosity of the Hat, there is a continual absorption of moisture going on until it becomes completely saturated, particularly in front, the consequence is, that the nap lies buried in a greasy matter, which matter is also, but very inappropriately termed gum or stiffening, when in point of fact it is neither, for the very same effect would, under the like circumstances, be produced, and in much less time, if the Hat were not stiffened at all. The best remedy for this is a piece of thin flannel under the leather, and that frequently changed.

There is nothing so detrimental to a Hat as a severe exposure to rain on the first, second, or even third time of wearing; for this reason, the materials wherewith it is composed are in a manner quite green, and require seasoning; to effect which it should be frequently put on in dry weather. I have always found that a Hat, constantly worn for five or six weeks without being wet, underwent every sort of hardship afterwards with little or no injury, retaining at the same time its beauty-form-and wearing three times longer than it otherwise would have done. It may be asked, why not, to prevent accidents, render the Hat water-proof? that is, impervious to the action of either atmosphere or rain. The thing is easy enough, I admit; but where there is a choice of only two evils, it is always best to select the least. We all know (or should know) that if a man were to enclose himself, arms, legs, and body, in what is called an oil-skin dress, and that drawn close round the neck, the whole tightly fitted to every part of his person as a Hat is to the head, the most unpleasant consequences would ensue; the cause why is obviously this, the exhalations of the body, particularly in a state of exertion, would when so enclosed, be either prevented from flying off, as nature requires, or otherwise checked altogether; precisely so with the head if the porosity of the Hat was destroyed, which it must be to resist effectually the action of water. This deduction must be so clear and self-evident that further reasoning is unnecessary. Another great objection against water-proof Hats is, that the ingredients made use of for such purposes, when exposed to the sun's heat, are so acted upon as to cause a decomposition of the colour, and nine times in ten, the Hat, before it is half worn out, becomes any thing but what it was meant to be.

It is astonishing to hear the number of qualifications a Hat is said to have, and each as opposite to the other as it is possible for any two things to be; some, for instance, maintain that it cannot be good unless it is light, others again will decidedly condemn it for being so, insisting that the chief recommendation is its being firm and stout. All that is requisite to be observed on this, is that weight has no more to do with the quality of a Hat, than the situation of prime minister has to do with the cramming of turkies. A very inferior Hat may be made equally light with the most superior, and in both cases the cost of manufacture will be less than if they were made stout.

The length of the beaver too is another point on which the difference of opinion is often experienced; many are for very short naps, declaring all others to be outrageously vulgar; but the majority of wearers seem best pleased with long naps, which always take and retain the best black, while, on the contrary those that are very short never do. A medium between the two is the most preferable.

Having stated thus much, I shall next proceed to explain in what way a fine Hat is made, describing as accurately as possible the various processes it undergoes, as also the materials with which it is composed, the proportions of each as well as the quantity of work a man is capable of doing, whether maker or finisher, in a week, the amount of wages, together with some of the curious regulations, by-laws, &c. &c. &c.

In the first place, as I shall have occasion to mention a few of the implements by name, a short description of them may not be amiss.

There is the BOW, which in form is not unlike what is used for playing on a double bass, but in length and thickness is equal to a constable's staff; there is a bridge at each end, from one to the other of which is tightly strung a stout line of catgut.

The HURDLE is situate in what is called the bow garret, and is a sort of table, on which the fur is bowed, or mixed, having the farther end and sides enclosed to prevent the material from being blown away.

The BATTERY is somewhat like the hopper of a mill, in this is contained the hot liquor, and is mostly constructed for eight men, round which they stand when making; the lower part is lead, the upper or working part mahogany. All batteries are formed into divisions called PLANKS, one of which is allotted to each man. There are many other little things used by makers, but these three are all that deserve particular notice.

The first thing a maker looks for in the morning is the FUR, or raw material, which is furnished to him by weight; the quantity being more or less, according to the substance of the Hat required, and is in two parcels, one of which contains the BEAVER, or napping; the other the BODY (a proportionate scale of both will be seen hereafter). Thus provided he takes it to the BOW GARRET; the materials for the body are first placed on the hurdle, and the bow being hung at the centre for support, is held in the left hand horizontally, so that the catgut may come in contact with the fur; in the right hand is placed a small piece of stick, with a nut at the end, and in this position the work begins after the following manner. The catgut of the bow (being first placed in the midst of the fur) is pulled or struck with the knotted stick, which produces, from a quick repetition of the stroke, a continued vibration, this vibration it is that causes a separation or flitting of the fur, at the same time mixing and cleansing it. This operation is continued until such ends are fully attained. It is next divided into halves, one of which is laid aside, and the other again bowed over. In this second operation the workman contrives, partly by bowing, and partly by a slight wicker frame, to bring the material into an oblong form, and equal in size to a large sheet of cartridge paper; this is called a BAT, and when done it is gently pressed down by the wicker, after which a damp linen cloth is laid all over, and on this again is placed a thick piece of dry HORSE HIDE; the workman now begins to press hard on the hide for about five minutes; in the doing this the fur adheres close to the damp cloth, into which it is doubled up, and once more undergoes the pressure of the hand. Under this operation (which is called BASONING) the bat becomes consolidated, and may be thrown, when taken out of the cloth, from one end of the garret to the other without injury. The second half is next bowed, formed into a bat, and basoned as the first. This half remains on the hurdle, and a piece of paper, somewhat conical, is placed on it, over which, and agreeable to the shape, the sides of the bat are doubled. Here then is formed one half of the body, this is laid aside, and the first bat is then put flat on the hurdle on which the one previously doubled is placed with its open part downwards; the lower bat being transversely doubled over the top hat, forms a sort of conical, or harlequin's cap; in this state it is once more put into the damp cloth, where it receives another hardening for the purpose of uniting or knitting both bats together; after this it is folded into the compass of two hands, ready for the plank. The next thing is the beaver, or covering, which is bowed in form to correspond with the body, but has nothing to do with it in this stage.

Matters being completed thus far, this is called the first process of Hat-making. The second commences as follows:-The workman having gone from the bow garret to the making shop, takes his stand at the battery, under which is a FIRE, for the purpose of heating the liquor;^[1] into this hot liquor the body is quickly immersed, where it remains till soaked through; it is afterwards laid on the plank to drain and cool; this done, it is unfolded, gently rolled, turned at short intervals in every direction, to prevent the sides uniting together; and as the liquor becomes cold and rolled out, it is continually supplied with hot and fresh, by the sprinkling of a brush, which is dipped in the kettle for that purpose; under this operation, assisted by the astringency of the vitriol, the body shrinks, and begins to assume a tough substance. When it has shrunk to a certain size (say three-fifths, if to be double covered), it is laid flat on the plank, and the first coat of beaver, as it comes from the bow, is laid quite over it; the brush is now dipped into the hot liquor, the contents of which is sprinkled all over the beaver, directly afterwards it is gently patted down with the hot brush; here the body is put into a hair-cloth, rolled in hot liquor, turned inside out, rolled again until the beaver, is completely worked into the body; when this is effected, it is in a fit state to receive the second covering, which is put on as the first, the working, turning, patting, and rolling still continuing until it is reduced to a fit dimension, the beaver quite clean, and all together assuming a closely felted, fine, solid piece of workmanship; after which it is immediately blocked in this same liquor, to the size wanted, and put into a stove to dry, from whence it is taken, and with a small fine card the beaver is gently raised; without this, one half would lie buried, and the beauty lost.-Here then is the complete PROCESS OF HAT-MAKING.

It is next sent to the DYER from whom it passes to the FINISHER, who, after stiffening, blocking, and half finishing, sends it to be picked, which is performed by a woman, whose place it is to pull out the kemps or thick hairs, without injuring the beaver,^[2] although that is not always accomplished. From the picker it returns to the finisher who, by the IRON and velvet cushion, gives it those highly brilliant and admired beauties that an English Hat is so pre-eminently distinguished for. The shaper next takes it in hand, who is guided in his operations by the fancy of the wearer, if bespoke, which is sometimes a little whimsical. After shaping, it goes to the trimmer, from whom it is returned to the TIPPER OFF; he gets it ready for wearing; it is then sent to its destination, when the master, if he is fortunate, puts the amount into his pocket.^[3]