Beaver Top Hat
Smedley Brothers, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1820-1839

In 1624, during the very first season of settlement in New York, the Dutch shipped 1,500 beaver and 500 otter skins to Europe. They were joining the fur trade that had begun one hundred years earlier to satisfy fashion-conscious Europeans. This high demand for furs was fast leading to the depletion of these animals.

Beaver felt hats were the rage in Europe and America for two centuries. The top hat was introduced in the 1780s and ultimately became part of the daily attire for men on both sides of the Atlantic.

Beaver (Castor canadensis) fur felt, commercial leather, paper, commercial silk, ink; L 37.5 x W 34.0 x H 17.5); 7677, gift of Sam Hugh Brockmier