It was the Concord of long ago where we find our long-forgotten milliners. A select group of very talented individuals that served a purpose in our community as well as just about everywhere else too. In my travels around New Hampshire, I see evidence of the abundance of milliners, old signs and historic signs as well as mention in my many volumes of history. A person that was employed as a milliner was simply a hat maker, especially woman’s hat where he or she could grandly accessorize as needed.
The rich history of making hats dates back thousands of years, this very practical job of hat making was a very popular venture for it was prosperous and sought by everyone in our community. Hats protect our heads, keep us warm in the winter and cool in the summer, they can convey military rank as well as a profession such as a fireman or a policeman. Hats tell a story, sometimes the wealthy wore a particular style hat and the common laborer another style that was more in line with the career engaged. If you worked for the railroad, you wore a railroad hat and if you were a baker, you wore an entirely different hat too.
During my grandfather’s time he worked for the Boston and Main Railroad, wearing a standard locomotive cap until his promotion to railroad conductor – when he changed hats to signify his new position with the railroad. When grandfather sought additional work to make extra money, he also worked in the granite business at the quarries on Rattlesnake Hill in Concord. He was also handy and painted houses at times, wearing his painters cap. Grandfathers friends used to say he was a man that wore many hats, hence the origin of the saying “a man with many hats”, a person that simply worked different jobs simultaneously.
Hats also provide a good reference while attempting to date vintage photographs, something that I do on a regular basis. If the photograph is undated but the person in the photograph is wearing a particular hat it provides some valuable insight. For example, the “Flat Cap” was very popular for many decades but it appeared on the hat scene originally back in the 16th century, a common hat that was indeed practical and worn by the common people for protection from the elements. The “Top Hat” was a formal hat very popular during the 1860s and the “Fedora” gained popularity during the 1880s. With many Americans employed in Panama during the construction of the Panama Canal beginning in 1903 we find the popular “Panama” hat a very popular choice for gentlemen. During the 1940s, business dress common with politicians and the wealthy included the “Pork Pie” hat, similar to the 1860s “Top Hat” but a tamer version not as tall while sitting upon the head. The 1880s brought us the “Boater” hat and the formal look of the end of the 19th century certainly included the “Bowler” hat. During my youth the common hat was certainly the baseball cap with the popularity of a “beanie” arriving in the 1970s.
Woman have been subjected to many additional styles of hats, indeed practical but certainly very decorative through the years. Woman were required to wear a hat while attending church service, but a man never was. Woman would accent their Victorian Gowns with flamboyant hats that included wonderful colors and fabrics along with flowers and other organic matter. The broad rims on a womans’ hat walking about Concord a century ago would provide class, style and protection from the sun.
The milliners or hat makers that worked around the greater Concord area provided hats to most individuals, the hat maker would measure and cut his material in custom while discussing the wants and needs of the individual that desired a new hat. As the factory workers of Concord walked to work they found protection from the sun, the rain and the snow too. Some of the popular hat makers working within the Concord area over the years included talented milliners such as J.B Dyer, John George and Edward Cotton.
As the years continued to pass the hat making industry was changing. During the Civil War period the need for military hats to protect the soldiers necessitated a change in the industry. Thousands of hats were needed during a relatively short period of time and mass production appeared on the horizon. Hat factories gained popularity where the volume demand could be met. The factories also manufactured accessories for the military as well as the general public.
The local mass production of hats put an end to the last of our small local milliners. The small shops closed, the large factories assumed the role, but there was still change to come. With the war over the need for fashionable headwear was desired by the men and woman across America, fashion designers engaged and provided the next popular style where mass production in the civilian market flourished. The small shops would never again function as a business in the city of Concord.
Today I have a vast collection of old photographs dating back over a century. Photographs of both my grandfathers, their friends and the many hats they wore here in the community we call home.