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Museum of Texas Tech University
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Dark Brown Beaver Felt Cowboy Hat with Feathers

U.S. hat maker, John B. Stetson, invented the Stetson Hat style in the 1860s. The hat conveys a working man in the Western part of the United States. According to Colin McDowell, Buffalo Bill’s Road show made the Stetson hat a vital prop for show business cowboys. It has been adopted by U. S. politicians including Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson and Ronald Reagan. When John F. Kennedy was given a Stetson hat on November 22, 1963 at a breakfast in Ft. Worth, he told the attendees they’d have to come to Washington to see him wear it. Kennedy didn’t think he looked good in hats and except for the top hat he wore to his inauguration he didn’t wear hats. Because of this and because of his popularity John F. Kennedy is sometimes credited with the demise of hats for men.

DETAILS

Date: 1980

Medium: Wrangler Brand, Made by Miler Brothers

Gift of Wrangler Menswear, TTU-H1982-041-014

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