Antique Boxed Silk Top Hat by Henry Heath, c.1917
£345
In excellent condition, this finest quality antique silk plush top hat was made by the renowned Henry Heath Hat Manufacturers, based in London's Oxford Street. It dates to 1917, a period when the world was still in conflict and when so many young men were fighting on the Western Front and as such not a time when the demand for new top hats was high, so this is probably one of a few then and rare now.
The plush silk exterior and its felt band are in excellent condition, with no visible damage. The interior features a leather head band and is lined with cream silk. The owners initials 'W E H' are embroidered in fine gold thread and the Royal Warrant of the maker is printed above.
This hat has been worn but equally it has been properly cared for over the past 100 plus years ( inside the box is a proprietary purple velvet cleaning pad, from Horne Bros, (who were Tailors, Hosiers and Men's Outfitters based in Newgate Street, London). The inside shows signs of wear, but this is restricted to surface marks around the headband, there is no damage, loose stitching, holes etc.
It is a small size (54/55 or 6 3/4 / 6 7/8), and may have been made for a schoolboy, perhaps attending Eton College where the silk top hat was a compulsory uniform item until 1948. For today this is still wearable and as illustrated can fit and suit a ladies head.
The original card hat box shows its age and having served its purpose well and protected the hat for the last 100 plus years. However the all important maker's advertising is still clearly visible. The box is dated 20/07/2017.
The hat measures front to back on the rim 29 cm, and inside 19 cm x 15 cm the hat stands 17 cm from table top to crown.
The box measures 32 x 25 cms, height 19cms
Historical Note:
The Henry Heath hat making business was established in 1822. Beaver hats were the norm at that time and worn by all respectable people, however beaver became hunted to near extinction, and the price went up. Subsequently the firm was to become most famous for silk (or top) hats.
Henry Heath (HH) did make all types of millinery for men and women including the Duke of Wellington's Field Marshall's hat as well as straw hats for Queen Victoria's grandchildren . However, it was their silk plush hat, which became standard for a century, and was their pièce de resistance and remained so until fashion changed and the market for top hats disappeared, they had enjoyed many decades of success, so did the business. Indeed, from the 1880s HH was exporting all over the world and continued to do so until the late 1930s when WWII intervened.
Operating out of the circa 1880 Beaver Building on London’s 105-109 Oxford St, 16-18 Hollen St, W1, the Henry Heath Hat Factory produced handmade headwear of such fine quality it earned warrants to EVII ( 1841 – † 1910), GV ( 1865 – † 1936) GVI ( 1895 – † 1952) and King Alphonso XIII ( 1886 – † 1941) and the Royal Courts of United Kingdom and Spain.