BONNER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY & MUSEUM
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Beaver Top Hat
A beaver hat is a hat made from felted beaver fur. They were fashionable across much of Europe during the period 1550–1850 because the soft yet resilient material could be easily combed to make a variety of hat shapes (including the familiar top hat).  Used winter coats worn by Native Americans were actually a prized commodity for hat making because their wear helped prepare the skins; separating out the coarser hairs from the pelts.
To make felt, the underhairs were shaved from the beaver pelt and mixed with a vibrating hatter's bow. The matted fabric was pummeled and boiled repeatedly, resulting in a shrunken and thickened felt. Filled over a hat-form block, the felt was pressed and steamed into shape. The hat maker then brushed the outside surface to a sheen.[4] Beaver hats were made in various styles as a matter of civil status:
  • the Wellington (1820–40)
  • the Paris beau (1815)
  • the D'Orsay (1820)
  • the Regent (1825)
  • the clerical (18th century).
In addition, beaver hats were made in various styles as a matter of military status:
  • the continental cocked hat (1776)
  • Navy cocked hat (19th century)
  • the Army shako (1837).[5]
The popularity of the beaver hat declined in the early/mid-19th century as silk hats became more fashionable across Europe.
This particular beauty was made by "DUNLAP & CO of NYC probably in the late 19th century. 
​
Donor: Nancy Fontaine
​Adopted by:
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  • About
    • Mission
    • Donors & Sponsors
    • Board & Staff
  • Visit
  • Exhibits
  • Programs
    • Upcoming Events
    • Education Programs
    • Connecting the Past to the Present
    • Podcast: North Idaho Nuggets
  • Collections
    • Special Collections
    • Oral Histories
    • Historic Preservation
    • Object Identification
    • Research
  • Support
    • Donate an Artifact
    • Volunteer
    • Membership
    • Sponsorship
    • Shop Museum Guild