Cloche

Herman Patrick Tappé

ca. 1925 · straw, silk · Costume Institute

Herman Patrick Tappé, designer and importer, was known as the "Paul Poiret” of New York and dabbled in millinery. While Tappé's hats are most remembered for being outlandish, in this example he shows a refined contrast in the use of informal straw and rich cutwork velvet leaves. The combination of textiles suggests that the hat would have most likely been used for around-the-town wear. The cloche gained its greatest popularity during the 1920s when its practicality suited increasingly active lifestyles and its coquettish hooded shape evoked allure and femininity.

Artist

Herman Patrick Tappé

Date

ca. 1925

Medium

straw, silk

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 Mrs. Frederick H. Prince, Jr., 1967