Sailor hat

Salinger

ca. 1945 · straw, cotton, synthetic · Costume Institute

Sailor hats, defined by shallow crowns and straight, flat brims, have been in fashion for women since the 19th century. They were an especially popular headwear choice when women became more active in sports such as bicycling and automobile driving in the latter half of the nineteenth century. The style continued into the 1940s, as this quintessential example illustrates. This hat, made of exceptionally fine straw, is an example of a traditional style being adapted for fashion. The precise addition of delicate flowers transforms the hat for an overall pleasing effect.

Artist

Salinger

Date

ca. 1945

Medium

straw, cotton, synthetic

Culture

American

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Rita Gorden Becker, 1964