Hats Off to Hats

During January, we are featuring hats! We don’t often have an opportunity to share KCHS’s extensive collection of vintage apparel, so we’re taking the month of January to share a few of the hats that reside in our vintage apparel repository.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, four milliners were listed in the City Directory.

  • Minnie Thomas

  • Kate Hoffman

  • EC Farris

  • Miss Chandler

Minnie Thomas is listed in the Fulton, Mo., souvenir books. The following are excerpts from that listing —

“Carrying one of the largest stocks of millinery in the city and having a reputation for the latest and most exclusive styles and moderate prices is the store of Miss Minnie Thomas on the corner of Fifth and Market Streets … six deft and courteous clerks assist Miss Thomas.”

It was a pleasure to feature the evolution of hats — from the Civil War to today’s fascinator. Plus, a look at the variety of men famous for wearing a fedora.

Nancy Lewis