Hats!

Recently while looking at old family photos, I was reminded that it was once customary for women to get a new hat for Easter. The Benton County Historical Museum has many hats; some of them reminded me of hats that were worn by women in my family.

I've always liked picture hats, perhaps because my mother had a brown straw one when I was a child.

The museum has several of hats with these wide brims as this style has been in fashion numerous times. The first is from the 1900-1919 period and the second from 1960.

 

When I was a child of elementary school age, I had a navy blue straw hat similar to this one.

Another favorite style is what I used to call a “flower pot” hat because it was shaped like an upside down flower pot and covered with artificial flowers.

The ones I remember from circa 1960 had flowers made of some stiffer material than chiffon but were otherwise similar.

The museum's collection contains another hat that I find intriguing and wish I could try on (if that were allowed

If you would like to see more hats, visit the Corvallis Museum's exhibition of Hats and Chairs. 

By Martha Fraundorf, Volunteer for Benton County Historical Society, Philomath, Oregon