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Antique Silk Top Hat w Leather Case 19th c French Size 7

$0.00

Brand Poppy's Vintage Clothing

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This is a very nice quality black silk top hat made by France by a Biarritz maker called Martin Lazorthes.  This silk top hat comes with a leather traveling case.  The hat has no size label, but should fit a size 7 - it measures 21 7/8” around the sweatband, and 7 5/8” by 6 1/8” across the opening.  The crown is quite tall, measuring 6” in height - it has a felt band wrapped around its base.  The liner is stamped with “Chapellerie Anglaise Main Lazorthes 10, rue Mazagran Biarritz Fournisseur Brevete de S.M. La Reine Regente d’Espagne et de la Courte”.  This stamping is quite interesting and allows for the approximate dating of this silk top hat.  Biarritz is located in the French Basque region, 35 miles from the Spanish border, so although French, the maker had a Royal Warrant from the Regent Queen of Spain.  The Regent Queen would have been Maria Cristina de Habsburgo-Lorena, who served as the Regent Queen from 1885 until 1902, so this silk top hat would date to that period.

This silk top hat is in very good condition with one tiny fray spot near the opening (see last close-up photo), very minor.  Otherwise, the silk is in very good condition and is really of superior quality, much nicer than many other examples that I have seen.  The liner would benefit from a bit of a wipe, but is certainly acceptably clean.

The case is missing its key to lock the cover onto the bottom and the strap is torn from the backside.  The case has an insert where one would store a collapsible top hat on top of the non-collapsible silk top hat.  In general, the rest of the case is in very good condition.  

This is a wonderful antique silk top hat with its original leather case - interesting origin!