A Homburg is a formal felt hat characterized by a single dent running down the center of the crown (called a "gutter crown"), a stiff brim shaped in a "kettle curl" and a bound edge trim.
The Homburg is made from stiff felt and has a grosgrain hatband and brim trim. The original Homburg was of slightly more generous proportions than the modern version.
It was popularized by Edward VII after he visited Bad Homburg in Hesse, Germany, and brought back a hat of this style
The Bowler hat was devised in 1849 by the London hatmakers Thomas and William Bowler to fulfill an order placed by the firm of hatters Lock & Co. of St James's. Lock & Co. had been commissioned by a customer to design a close-fitting, low-crowned hat to protect his gamekeepers' heads from low-hanging branches while on horseback. The keepers had previously worn top hats, which were easily knocked off and damaged. Lock & Co. then commissioned the Bowler brothers to solve the problem. While most accounts state that the customer was William Coke, a nephew of the 1st Earl of Leicester, recent research has cast some doubt on this, and it is now believed that it was instead Edward Coke, the younger brother of the 2nd Earl of Leicester. When Coke arrived in London on 17th December 1849 to collect his hat he reportedly placed it on the floor and stamped hard on it twice to test its strength; the hat withstood this test and Coke paid 12 shillings for it. In accordance with Lock & Company's usual practice, the hat was called the "Coke" hat (pronounced ?cook?) after the customer who had ordered it. This is most likely why the hat became known as the "Billy Coke" or "Billycock" hat in Norfolk.
Contrary to popular belief, it was the Bowler and not cowboy hats like the Stetson or sombrero that was the most popular hat in the American West, prompting Lucius Beebe to call it "the hat that won the West." Both cowboys and railroad workers preferred the hat because it wouldn't blow off as easily in strong wind, or when sticking one's head from the window of a speeding train. It was worn by both lawmen and outlaws, including Bat Masterson, Butch Cassidy and Billy the Kid.
The Homburg is made from stiff felt and has a grosgrain hatband and brim trim. The original Homburg was of slightly more generous proportions than the modern version.
It was popularized by Edward VII after he visited Bad Homburg in Hesse, Germany, and brought back a hat of this style
The Bowler hat was devised in 1849 by the London hatmakers Thomas and William Bowler to fulfill an order placed by the firm of hatters Lock & Co. of St James's. Lock & Co. had been commissioned by a customer to design a close-fitting, low-crowned hat to protect his gamekeepers' heads from low-hanging branches while on horseback. The keepers had previously worn top hats, which were easily knocked off and damaged. Lock & Co. then commissioned the Bowler brothers to solve the problem. While most accounts state that the customer was William Coke, a nephew of the 1st Earl of Leicester, recent research has cast some doubt on this, and it is now believed that it was instead Edward Coke, the younger brother of the 2nd Earl of Leicester. When Coke arrived in London on 17th December 1849 to collect his hat he reportedly placed it on the floor and stamped hard on it twice to test its strength; the hat withstood this test and Coke paid 12 shillings for it. In accordance with Lock & Company's usual practice, the hat was called the "Coke" hat (pronounced ?cook?) after the customer who had ordered it. This is most likely why the hat became known as the "Billy Coke" or "Billycock" hat in Norfolk.
Contrary to popular belief, it was the Bowler and not cowboy hats like the Stetson or sombrero that was the most popular hat in the American West, prompting Lucius Beebe to call it "the hat that won the West." Both cowboys and railroad workers preferred the hat because it wouldn't blow off as easily in strong wind, or when sticking one's head from the window of a speeding train. It was worn by both lawmen and outlaws, including Bat Masterson, Butch Cassidy and Billy the Kid.
