Man's Uniform Shako
HatterMade by
G. C. Hotchkiss
(American)
Date1825-1830
MediumHand-stitched Japanned leather, brass and white metal ornaments, silver twist cord, and a paper label
ClassificationsCostume
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Object number1967.35.1
DescriptionLeather "bell" shako with a crown that flares out toward the top. Ornamented with a brass eagle on the front, white metal chin scales and bosses, a brass number "6" at the top of the crown, and braided silver twist cord held on with two white metal star ornaments on the sides. The silver cord suggests that this was an officer's hat.
The shako is seamed at the front only, using the "lift and split" technique, in which a flap is cut into one side of the leather to split it and create a flap, then the two sides of the seam are sewn together, and finally, the flap is glued down over the seam on the outside using hide glue. This masks the seam from the outside; it is only clearly visible when looking into the shako. The crown is a laminate of two pieces of leather, one glued on top of the other. The top layer comes down over the top seam edge to protect against leakage. There is a binder strip of leather along the bottom edge of the shako that turns up and into the hat to become a sweatband with a pinked edge. This leather is 3/4-inch wide at the front, broadening to 1 1/2-inch wide at the back, and it is finely tooled for added ornament. The visor is a single piece of eight-ounce black leather (about 1/8-inch thick). The underside of the visor is painted green to reduce glare and eye strain. A hole in the front of the crown and a piece of leather sewn to the inside of the shako just below the hole form a socket that would have held a plume.
NotesObject Note: A shako is a type of hat defined by a tall, rigid crown and visor.The shako is seamed at the front only, using the "lift and split" technique, in which a flap is cut into one side of the leather to split it and create a flap, then the two sides of the seam are sewn together, and finally, the flap is glued down over the seam on the outside using hide glue. This masks the seam from the outside; it is only clearly visible when looking into the shako. The crown is a laminate of two pieces of leather, one glued on top of the other. The top layer comes down over the top seam edge to protect against leakage. There is a binder strip of leather along the bottom edge of the shako that turns up and into the hat to become a sweatband with a pinked edge. This leather is 3/4-inch wide at the front, broadening to 1 1/2-inch wide at the back, and it is finely tooled for added ornament. The visor is a single piece of eight-ounce black leather (about 1/8-inch thick). The underside of the visor is painted green to reduce glare and eye strain. A hole in the front of the crown and a piece of leather sewn to the inside of the shako just below the hole form a socket that would have held a plume.
Status
Not on view
