A sleigh ride on Chatfield Road, c. 1994

Curator’s Cache: Season’s Greetings!

Christmas tree hat, 1965. Gift of Eleanor Tippens. Velvet and white fur hat and stole, 1897. Gift of Frances Drummer Logan. Beaver fur top hat, c. 1930. Gift of Elizabeth Knode Greeley.

hattrio

The Winnetka Historical Society has approximately 800 hats in our collection. Because they are rarely seen, we thought it would be fun to use them to wish our visitors Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah and Happy New Year.

The lovely little Christmas tree is indeed a hat. We are told that it caused quite a stir when Eleanor Tippens wore it to Christmas Eve service at Christ Church in 1965. Mrs. Tippens donated many of her fabulous hats to us but this is by far the most whimsical.

The deep blue velvet and white fur hat and stole date from 1897 and was owned by Mrs. Frances Drummer Logan. For years this set has been among the Costume Curator’s very favorite objects.

No well-dressed Winnetka gentleman would have dreamed of attending a New Year’s Eve party without a smart beaver fur top hat. Joseph H. Greeley wore this one in the 1930s. His wife Elizabeth Knode Greeley was a large contributor to our costume collection and we have her to thank for many of our finer items from the 1920s and 1930s.

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