Robert Lloyd

“ WEARING A HAT. There is no part of a man's dress that makes or mars his appearance so much as his hat; not that it is its striking beauty when new, or a want of it when old, that is most materially concerned in producing either of the above effects; the grand point is the form, and the position which it is made to assume on the head; yet how few there are who give the least attention to either, except indeed military men, and they in general are uncommonly tasty, affording the best example of the precise style in which a hat should be worn. ”

“ As to the form of a hat, and what is best for this face or that person, there is more in it than what is generally supposed, and a great deal might be said on the subject; but to talk of a standard fashion is absurd in the extreme, in proof of which it need only be observed, that if very large hats were adopted, a thin man of five feet high, would, by the wearing, become as complete a caricature, as a twenty stone man of six feet would by wearing a very small one. ”

“ THE REGENT. A finely-formed and most decidedly elegant Hat: is somewhat upon a large scale, the crown being upwards of seven inches high, much yeoman, with an excellently turned and corresponding brim, producing together a happy union of the nicest proportions: It is worn to most advantage by persons whose height and bulk are above the common stature; not that it is meant to be understood, that every athletic or robust form would become a Regent; on the contrary, there is not a shape in the whole catalogue that demands in the wearer a greater share of external requisites than this ”

“ To show the absurd notions some entertain on this matter, I state as a fact, that I do not know a manufacturer or seller in the trade but what has been applied to, by some one or other, to have a Beaver Hat made from a hare's skin. Nay, I remember once offending a very good customer, and a man not wanting for sense either, by an involuntary burst of laughter, on his presenting the skin of a French lap-dog for the very same purpose. ”

“ It is no less singular than true, that the same hat, by being placed on the head in different positions, will give, in appearance, as many distinct characters to the same person as the number of those positions amount to. ”

“ First-No man shall work as a maker or finisher, unless he has served an apprenticeship of seven years to what is called a "fair master."
Second-To be a fair master, and entitled, according to the rules of the trade, to take an apprentice, he must have manufactured his own Hats, seven years prior to the taking, or otherwise have served a fair seven years' apprenticeship himself to the trade. ”

“ The first thing a maker looks for in the morning is the FUR, or raw material, which is furnished to him by weight; the quantity being more or less, according to the substance of the Hat required, and is in two parcels, one of which contains the BEAVER, or napping; the other the BODY (a proportionate scale of both will be seen hereafter) . Thus provided he takes it to the BOW GARRET; the materials for the body are first placed on the hurdle, and the bow being hung at the centre for support, is held in the left hand horizontally, so that the catgut may come in contact with the fur ”

“ These are the principal regulations which govern journeymen hatters, whether they have a good or a bad tendency is questionable; there are many in the trade who decidedly condemn them, giving as their reasons, that they encourage idleness, tippling, and endless squabbles. Idleness-inasmuch as when men are summoned to discuss the most trifling matters, even though the meeting be at five o'clock in the morning, they seldom feel disposed to return to their work that day. ”

“ No hat can be good, or well covered, with less than one ounce of prime beaver; and, small as the quantity is, there was a time when journeymen makers (catching the custom of their betters, and by way of tythe) thought it no sin to appropriate a part of this material to their own use; but, for the credit of the trade be it said, the practice is long since abolished, and a man attempting it at the present day would be scouted from the factory where he worked, by every honest journeyman therein.
5. The average week's work of a maker is about ten hats; that of a finisher, from five to six dozen. ”

“ THE TALLY-HO. A very comfortable and convenient hunting Hat, partaking in some degree the natural formation of the head: has many advantages over the old fashioned cap; is light, though strong-porous, which allows the heat of the head, arising from exertion, to fly off-and elastic, the effect of which is to sit close without pressure; but, above all, it has a most gentlemanly appearance, which it never fails to communicate to the wearer, particularly if he be a true sportsman. ”

“ It may be asked, why not, to prevent accidents, render the Hat water-proof? that is, impervious to the action of either atmosphere or rain. The thing is easy enough, I admit; but where there is a choice of only two evils, it is always best to select the least. We all know (or should know) that if a man were to enclose himself, arms, legs, and body, in what is called an oil-skin dress, and that drawn close round the neck, the whole tightly fitted to every part of his person as a Hat is to the head, the most unpleasant consequences would ensue ”

“ This is a case that frequently occurs; indeed it is no uncommon thing to see a man with a wife and half a dozen children, himself near thirty years old, serving a second apprenticeship for a fair time; the hardship of this must be admitted, inasmuch as it is punishing a man for a fault he never committed.
Fifth-A foul man is one that has not served his apprenticeship agreeably to the rule of the trade, or has been guilty of some act detrimental to the supposed interests of the journeymen in general. ”

“ The liquor, which is always kept up to scalding heat, is nothing more than clean soft water, with a wine glass of vitriol, and a small quantity of beer dregs thrown in. The first is to shrink the body of the Hat in working; the other to destroy the pernicious effect of the vitriol.
It is next sent to the DYER from whom it passes to the FINISHER, who, after stiffening, blocking, and half finishing, sends it to be picked, which is performed by a woman, whose place it is to pull out the kemps or thick hairs, without injuring the beaver, [2] although that is not always accomplished. ”

“ Fourth-There are a number of masters who do not manufacture their own "stuff," but are employed by "Great Houses," who, although they have a right, by law, to take apprentices, yet those apprentices, by reason of their masters not working their own materials, are never admitted to stand by the side of fair men, on which account they must ever continue foul, and debarred of the usual privileges, or submit to a second apprenticeship. ”

“ A very inferior Hat may be made equally light with the most superior, and in both cases the cost of manufacture will be less than if they were made stout.
The length of the beaver too is another point on which the difference of opinion is often experienced; many are for very short naps, declaring all others to be outrageously vulgar; but the majority of wearers seem best pleased with long naps, which always take and retain the best black, while, on the contrary those that are very short never do. ”

“ Another great objection against water-proof Hats is, that the ingredients made use of for such purposes, when exposed to the sun's heat, are so acted upon as to cause a decomposition of the colour, and nine times in ten, the Hat, before it is half worn out, becomes any thing but what it was meant to be. ”

“ I have before stated that there are in this trade foul men; in point of number they constitute about one-sixth part of the whole; but their earnings, or price of labour is the same as the fair trade.
A journeyman finisher in full work will earn, on an average, from three to four pounds a-week; while, on the contrary, a maker cannot get more than fifty shillings. ”

“ This is a most slovenly practice, as well as a dangerous one, inasmuch as it tends to keep the head in a continual and forced state of perspiration, rendering a liability to "take cold," every time the hat is removed. Yet even this habit is not so bad as sticking the hat on the back of the head, which, of all others, is the most general, and carries with it the greatest impropriety, because such a position not only destroys the shape, but by lodging on the coat collar, the hind part, from friction, becomes greasy, and the binding is always in a state of raggedness ”

“ It has frequently been asked, why not make a Hat with beaver only, the answer is, there is not sufficient stamina or strength in it to become a sound felted substance. It would be worse than building a brick house without mortar or some sort of cement, to bind the whole together. ”

“ Few persons over thirty become this Hat, and none under twenty, and even between those ages, if the head be more than twenty-two inches, or less than twenty-one and a half in circumference, the whole effect is destroyed. Shape of the face immaterial, provided the complexion is not too dingy; but, above all things, neither overgrown or little fat gentlemen should wear the Tandem. To have the best effect when on the head, it should be placed rather forward, inclining a little to one side. ”

“ Sixth-A fair man has the privilege of what is called "turns upon tramp," that is, if he cannot obtain work in the town where he resides, or has an inclination to travel, he may journey or tramp to the next; should any of the fraternity be there, and he wishes to get "shopped" he is "asked for" by one in that factory, (no man being allowed to ask for himself) , if unsuccessful, there are two night's lodging for him, two pots of strong beer, bread and cheese, and a shilling or two to forward him to the next town. ”

“ As to growth or countenance, there is an old saying, that "beggars should not be choosers;" and the wearer, if he becomes so from necessity, will feel the propriety of leaving choice out of the question. ”

“ The money turn in London is five shillings, but no man is entitled to a second turn in one place, until after the expiration of six months from his receiving the first.
Seventh-If a journeyman has, by his own act, become foul, nothing can absolve him but submitting to a fine, and this is measured according to the offence, which, in some heinous cases, such as "creeping" into favour with the master, or going to work when all the rest have struck for wages, is as high as ten guineas. ”

“ To give the first, draw the brim of the hat so far over the eyes that they shall be quite concealed. The second is produced by the hat being thrown quite back. The third by a prim horizontal set, covering equally all parts of the head; and the fourth will not be easily mistaken wherever an extravagant cock on either side is brought full into view. These are undoubtedly all extreme habits, and seldom pushed to the extent here described; yet a slight inclination to either position may, under circumstances, have a very good effect. ”

“ Having remarked thus much, I shall next proceed to state, what is not the less true than surprising, which is, that of the various branches of manufacture which this country is so highly distinguished for, none are less understood than Hat-making; nay, there is not one person in fifty who, if he were asked the question, could tell whether a Hat was or was not a woven substance; nor is there one in 500 but what suppose that the skin of a hare or rabbit is worked with the fur attached to it, as in the natural state ”

“ The HURDLE is situate in what is called the bow garret, and is a sort of table, on which the fur is bowed, or mixed, having the farther end and sides enclosed to prevent the material from being blown away.
The BATTERY is somewhat like the hopper of a mill, in this is contained the hot liquor, and is mostly constructed for eight men, round which they stand when making; the lower part is lead, the upper or working part mahogany. All batteries are formed into divisions called PLANKS, one of which is allotted to each man. ”

“ If taken in an ornamental point of view, it would be no easy task to decide on its merits; but if usefully considered, the conclusion is plain and easy. It is an admitted fact, that an idea of dignity cannot embody itself with little things, hence the custom of wearing large wigs, for such doubtless these Hats were originally intended, and for this reason, the hinder part being drawn up with loops in two places, no peruke, however large its dimensions, can receive the least injury ”

“ To get rid of which, be it sufficient to state, that the prominent feature in this Hat is elegance of style, strongly visible in all its parts, and each part in unison with the whole; which for tonish and exquisite dash has no competitor. It will be seen, from what is here stated, that, much as this Hat is capable of transfusing its graces to the wearer (and who can doubt it) , some little attention to personal requisites is necessary-which, in stature, should be over five feet seven, and not too lusty; countenance or complexion is of little consequence ”

“ It is very singular, and worth remarking, that trifling as the Kent differs from the Regent in actual measurement, the contrariety of effect, when on the head, is great and striking; which unquestionably proves, that a very slight deviation from a given rule will produce results more opposed to each other than the deviation is to the rule itself. ”

“ But the great fault with most persons is to put on their Hats, day after day, in the same dirty state as when taken off at night; from which it is natural to infer, that there must be a vast accumulation of dirt ”

“ Squabbles, because it is natural, when the desire for a thing is once created, and the gratification of that desire (where nothing of criminality attaches) can be indulged, by having recourse to a little contrivance, that the opportunity of so doing should be more frequently made, than suffered to approach accidentally; which will account for the trifling magnitudes that are allowed to agitate shops and factories in general. ”