Lincoln's Stovepipe Hat

[J. Beckert]

The two hats attributed to Lincoln that I've seen (Smithsonian and Hildene) are covered with beaver skin, which was popular at the time. They would not be collapsible.

Beaver hats were so popular in the 19th. century, that beavers were almost hunted to extinction.

Stovepipe beaver hats were sometimes brushed with stale beer to give them a shine. A contemporary said Lincoln never did this and his hat always looked "as if a calf had just licked it".