Abraham Lincoln's Stovepipe Hat, Etc.

[L Verge]

(12-05-2015 03:34 AM)maharba Wrote:  I can't think of anyone else wearing that bizarre hat. Was it to try and appear taller I wonder. Abraham Lincoln was 6 foot 3, but so was Washington and Jefferson, and I think Lyndon Johnson was 6 foot 5. I can't remember seeing any of them often even wearing a hat. Looking again through old clippings, his hat was given to preacher Phineas Gurley by Mary Todd Lincoln, and the Estate of Gurley had to sue to try to get it returned from a Lincoln collector.

Actually, many men wore these hats before Lincoln was born and continued to wear them after his death. Google Top Hats and you'll find several interesting histories of this form of haberdashery, starting in the 1700s. For a century, you could study the "rise and fall" of this hat since its "in vogue" height changed over the years with the stovepipe being the "peak" (yes, pun intended) height.

In the days before mass media, there was even a gentleman who walked through the town announcing deaths. He wore a top hat to which was attached a long flowing veil in the back to distinguish him as the death announcer. And, even some women wore them as part of their riding habits.

Here's an interesting article from the Smithsonian magazine regarding Mr. Lincoln's preferred style. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/ab...60/?page=2