The Old West Catalog

Page Three of Four

The High Rider - $ 150 Black color shown (the color processing is bad)

The High Rider is truly a unique hat!  Seen in photographs of the period, it shows a degree of sophistication and considerable manly presence. The wide flat brim has ribbon binding and just a hint of curl. This hat is available in black only.

Courtesy the Clearwater Hat Collection

Top Hats-available in black only

Regular Crown - $ 150 Coffee color is shown ( bad color processing)

Originating in the late 1700's, the Top Hat immediately became a success.  It has endured for over two hundred years and is still used for many formal occasions.  More than any other hat, the Top Hat denotes a gentlemanly charm and sophistication that communicates both substance and character.

Tall Crown - $ 175 coffee color is shown

During the last two hundred years, the Top Hat has undergone a number of variations. The brims have alternately been wide and then narrow again while the crowns have risen and fallen.  The tall crown Top Hat has been in fashion during the late 1700's and early 1800's and then again in the 1840's through the Civil War and into the late nineteenth century.

The top hat was such a universal part of a mans wardrobe that it could be worn in a variety of situations. The two gentlemen(?) to the left show that even working men would wear what they favored.

Courtesy the Clearwater Hat collection

The Travis - $ 150 black color is shown

Made famous by Col. Travis of Alamo fame, the Travis Hat has the sophistication of a top hat while retaining the comfort and style of a wide brimmed plantation hat.  This is one hat that will get you noticed!

The John Bull - $ 150 Coffee color is shown

A first cousin to the Travis is the John Bull.  While the Silk Stovepipe or "Kite High Dandy" as it was called, rose to an eleven inch crown, the John Bull was at the other end of the spectrum with a crown of only three and one-half to four inches.

The image to the right shows a wealthy Californian with his grandchildren and a John Bull hat in his lap.

The Bancroft Library

All original material copyright©1998 Clearwater Hat Company