Top Hat
Period1860 - 1870
Place MadePhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
MediumBeaver, silk, grosgrain ribbon, leather, buckram
Dimensions7 × 8.38 × 10.75 in. (17.8 × 21.3 × 27.3 cm)
SignedThe top hat is stamped in reddish gold print "HATTER / THOS. M. SEEDS / 41 / N. SECOND ST. / PHILADELPHIA"
ClassificationsCostume, Men's
Credit LineGift of the Cape May County HIstorical Museum, 2023
Object number2023.1.1
DescriptionA man's top hat, of glossy black beaver, in the "stovepipe" style, with a flat crown, straight cylindrical body, and a narrow brim. The brim is shaped, from a 1 3/4" front and back portion to a deeply curved 1" brim along the sides. The entire brim edge is rimmed with narrow black grosgrain ribbon. The hat has no banding or other exterior ornamentation. The hat's interior consists of a tan silk covered board form, with a tan moire silk top lining stamped with the maker's mark. A wide 2 1/2" brown leather sweatband is sewn to the inside along the brim/body edge.Curatorial RemarksThe classic top hat was a ubiquitous fashion accessory for men throughout the entire 19th century and into the 20th. First introduced in England in the 1790s, the top hat had specific fashion characteristics, including a shaped brim and sides that either rose straight or flared to a flat crown. Most top hats were black, and made of glossy beaver pelt. Beaver fur was perfect for hats, its water shedding properties helping to protect the headgear from wet weather. Top hats were worn for all sorts of occasions both day and evening. Glossy black beaver pelt or black wool were two of the most common materials hatters used in the construction of top hats, although other colors were also used.NotesThis stylish and elegant narrow-brimmed top hat was owned and worn by Joel Parker, Governor of New Jersey during the Civil War. Joel Parker was born on 24 November 1816 in Freehold, Monmouth County, New Jersey. His father, Charles Parker, was a farmer and politician, serving as a member of the New Jersey State Legislature and also one term as New Jersey State Treasurer. His mother was Sarah Coward Parker. The family moved to Trenton when Joel was a boy. Parker attended the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), graduating in 1839. He chose to pursue a career in law and studied in the office of Freehold lawyer Henry W. Green. In 1842 Joel Parker was admitted to the bar and opened his own practice in downtown Freehold. Parker followed his father into politics. A lifelong Democrat, Parker campaigned for Martin Van Buren in 1840 and James K. Polk in 1844. Parker would move from politics to law and back again In 1846, Parker was elected to the New Jersey Legislature. In 1851, he accepted an appointment as the prosecutor of the pleas for Monmouth County. Six years later, in 1857, Parker was elected Brigadier General of Monmouth and Ocean Brigade of the New Jersey State Militia. In the years just prior to the start of the Civil War, New Jersey was known to be sympathetic to the Southern cause. Governor Charles Olden, although supporting Abraham Lincoln through his presidential campaign, was active in supporting pro-slavery legislation including the Fugitive Slave Act. At the outbreak of war in 1861, Olden appointed Parker as Major General of the New Jersey Militia. Parker's yellow silk uniform sash is in the collection of the Association. In 1862, Parker ran for New Jersey governor against Newark Mayor Moses Bigelow. Parker made his stance on the war clear. He supported a military solution rather than truce or compromise, calling seccession "political heresy." However, Parker also supported states' rights over national interests and was highly critical of Abraham Lincoln's handling of the conflict. Parker's main criticism was Lincoln's bypass of civil liberties, particularly imprisoning Confederate sympathizers and spies without trial. Parker also did not support the Emancipation Proclamation. Parker did, however, continue to actively support the war effort nonetheless. During the summer of 1863 and the Gettysburg campaign, Parker raised three volunteer Regiments to send to Pennsylvania to assist in keeping the peace. Governor Parker also attended the dedication ceremony of the new National Cemetery at Gettysburg and was in the crowd when President Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address. At the end of his term in 1866, Parker returned to Freehold and once again took up his law practice. The lure of political office called again, and Parker was elected to a second non-consecutive term as New Jersey's Governor in 1871. After finishing his second term, Parker was named Attorney General of New Jersey. Parker also seemed to have his eye on the presidency, and was promoted at the New Jersey Democratic Conventions in 1868, 1876, and 1880 as a possible candidate. In 1880, Governor George McClellan (himself once the head of the Union Army and a Democrat) appointed Parker to the New Jersey Supreme Court. Parker held this appointment until his death on 2 January 1888. Parker married Maria Mott-Gummere in 1843, and the couple had two sons and a daughter. Parker's Freehold home still stands on Main Street. In 1829, the trustees of the Monmouth County Historical Association seriously considered purchasing the large and spacious Italianate style mansion as the new headquarters for the organization, ultimately deciding to build a new structure on nearby Court Street. Parker is buried in Maplewood Cemetery in Freehold.
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