Hats: A Very UNnatural History / Malcolm Smith.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Smith, Malcolm, 1949 March 11- author.

Contributor:

Michigan State University. Press.

Series:

Animal turn.

The animal turn

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Extinct birds.

Extinct animals.

Featherwork.

Fur garments.

Hats--History.

Hats.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (195 pages).

Edition:

First Edition.

Place of Publication:

East Lansing : Michigan State University Press, [2020]

Summary:

For such simple garments, hats have had a devastating impact on wildlife throughout their long history. Made of wild-caught mammal furs, decorated with feathers or whole stuffed birds, historically they have driven many species to near extinction. By the turn of the twentieth century, egrets, shot for their exuberant white neck plumes, had been decimated; the wild ostrich, killed for its feathers until the early 1900s, was all but extirpated; and vast numbers of birds of paradise from New Guinea and hummingbirds from the Americas were just some of the other birds killed to decorate ladies' hats. At its peak, the hat trade was estimated to be killing 200 million birds a year. At the end of the nineteenth century, it was a trade valued at £20 million (over $25 million) a year at the London feather auctions. Weight for weight, exotic feathers were more valuable than gold. Today, while no wild birds are captured for feather decoration, some wild animals are still trapped and killed for hatmaking. A fascinating read, Hats will have you questioning the history of your headwear.

Contents:

Introduction

The earliest hats and hat decor

A deadly felt revolution

When the fur flies

European flamboyance

A feather in London's cap

An American tragedy unfolds

Ladies with influence

The Davy Crockett revival

The survivors' story

Today's hats.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-62895-384-5

1-60917-622-7

OCLC:

1124591169