Black Silk Top Hat — circa 1850
Donor Chuck Seasholtz, purchased this back silk top hat from an estate sale in Lampasas, Texas for $20. The hat has a brushed seal skin finish and was made around 1850. The slightly outward tapered top and small brim dates the hat to that time period. After the Civil War the taper became straight and in the early 1800s beaver or seal skin top hats had broad brims and a wider tapered top. The hat is missing the entire lining and the brim is very loose from the hat.
