Hat
Maker
J. R. Hall
Periodcirca 1880 - 1900
MediumSilk plush, grosgrain ribbon, leather, paper
Dimensions7.25 × 9.25 × 11.25 in. (18.4 × 23.5 × 28.6 cm)
InscribedThe hat includes a pencilled inscription on the inside reading "G. H. Barton, Keyport, N.J.," which may be the name of the top hat's original owner.
SignedThe hat is labeled on the inside of the crown "J. R. Hall. 259 Greenwich St. New York."
ClassificationsAccessories, Men's
Credit LineMuseum Collection
Object number1997.529
DescriptionA man's top hat in glossy black silk plush, with sides slightly tapering from the flat crown to the narrow shaped brim with narrow upturned edges. A narrow black silk grosgrain ribbon encircles the crown with a flat ornamental bow at one side. A black leather sweatband is sewn along the inside of the crown.Curatorial RemarksThe relatively narrow brim combined with the height and flare of this top hat's crown indicates that owner George Barton may have worn this elegant accessory at his wedding to Almira Bedle Holmes in May of 1878.NotesA search of genealogical records in the Keyport area for "G. H. Barton," the inscription on the inside of the hat, uncovered one George H. Barton, who may well be the original owner of this glossy silk plush top hat. George Barton was born in 1846 in North Carolina and served for two years as a clerk in the Confederate Navy aboard the ironclad steamer "Arctic." After the war, Barton and his widowed mother Ellen Barton relocated to Keyport, Monmouth County. On May 15, 1878, George Barton married widow Almira Bedle Holmes, who was almost twenty years older than her new husband. The couple lived on Main Street in Raritan (Keyport) and were active in local society. In the 1880 census, Barton listed himself as "gentleman," certainly a line of work that would make such an elegant hat a necessity. Barton died in 1910 and was buried in Green Grove Cemetery in Keyport.
Collections
