Bollman Hat Company 1910s Bollman Heritage Collection Toque in Royal

Nearly every man and woman wore a hat or cap every day during this time in American history. Despite the fact that hat wearing was so common, Bollman continued to supplement work for his employees with hosiery production at the Bollman owned Blue-Cross knitting mills in the off season. A 1910 picture of employees of this mill showed thirty five workers and their families including George W. and four of his five sons.During the early 1910s, the fashionable silhouette became much more soft and fluid than in the 1900s. During the years that World War I was fought, more women were forced to work outside the home and thus their fashion styles changed dramatically from past decades. Womens fashion demanded tailored suits and shirtwaists. Large hats with wide brims and broad hats with face-shadowing brims were the height of fashion before the outbreak of World War I in 1914. During the war, the styles gradually shrunk to smaller brimless hats like the Toque. This Toque in royal blue features a brushed finish and a brooch that matches the style for the 1910 decade. This hat comes in a special edition Bollman Heritage Hat Box.