Fireman’s Parade Hats

Figure 1. Series of fireman’s parade hats, after treatment

In 2022, we were contacted by a client with some very interesting and different objects that he hoped the conservators on staff would be able to restore for him: antique fire hats, also known as “parade hats.” Of course, everyone fell in love with the hats and their history immediately, and the project was assigned to Conservation Technician AnnaLivia McCarthy due to her interest in both object and textile conservation. By the end of 2022, AnnaLivia had restored seven different parade hats using her knowledge and skills and lots of innovative, creative thinking.

History

So, to start off, what is a fireman’s parade hat? Quite simply, it is a hat that was historically worn by volunteer firefighters. During the late 1700s extinguishing fires was a hectic and chaotic scene as multiple volunteer and privately-owned firefighting companies would arrive on scene to complete the job. Firefighters began wearing hats labeled with their companies’ names to help identify who they worked for. As time passed, the hats became more decorative to include images, symbols, and slogans in addition to the company names. But why the name “parade hats?” Well, in addition to wearing the hats as identifiers during a fire, firefighters also wore the hats when their fire companies marched in parades during the 1800s. It was common back then, just as it is today, for fire companies to participate in parades, and so the companies usually owned different pieces of regalia just for parades to help them distinguish themselves and stand out from one another. The hats became part of this parade “uniform.” What makes fire par really cool is that they are very emblematic and special to the history of firefight ade hats ing in Philadelphia. Fire parade hats started in Philadelphia and were mainly used by Philadelphia firefighters, although some other cities on the east coast also picked up the tradition.

Description

All seven hats have a stovepipe top and a wide brim. The fibers the hats are made from are presumed to be beaver fur. Beaver fur, specifically the woolly underfur, was commonly used for felt making during this period. Felt pressed hats were typically shaped using heat, moisture, and pressure. The brightly colored designs were painted on the felt with what is likely oil paint.

Treatment

The first step in every conservation treatment is to assess the item, determine its condition while noting issues and areas of concern, and develop a treatment plan based on the assessment. During her assessment of the collection of parade hats, the conservators noted that all of them were covered in layers of aged and discolored natural resin varnish that greatly obscured not only the images and design elements on the hats, but also hid many of the hats’ true base colors, which ranged from red to blue to dark emerald green depending on the hat. She also noticed deformations in the hats’ overall shape, losses in the tops and brims, and areas of weakness that needed to be stabilized.

With each hat’s condition noted, the conservators began working on the best way to treat and restore the hats in the studio. After carefully testing different water-based and solvent-based cleaning solutions, the conservators determined that the aged varnish could be reduced on all the hats to better reveal the painted images and designs except for one. Because of the sensitivity of the gilded lettering on that particular hat, they decided the safest course of action was to reduce the dirt and grime on the hat rather than risk damaging the hat by trying to remove the varnish.

Figure 2. Spring Garden hat before treatment (left), Spring Garden hat after cleaning (right)

Once the hats were cleaned as much as possible, AnnaLivia began to work on the hats’ shape and stability, and boy, did she have a tall task ahead of her. Over time, the tops and brims not only lost their shape due to age and damage, but suffered losses too, leading to holes in the tops and missing sections in the brims. The client wanted the hats restored, meaning he desired for them to look as original and “complete” as possible after treatment. This is where AnnaLivia’s creative and innovative thinking came into play.

Figure 3. Placement of Fosshape ® fill

AnnaLivia humidified and reshaped the deformations in the hats as much as possible and achieved great results. From there, she needed to figure out a way to fill the losses on the tops and brims that would not only be stable, but also aesthetically pleasing and not stand out from the original felt material. To find a conservation-grade material that would meet these requirements, AnnaLivia tested some common materials we had in the studio to see if they would be suitable to fill the losses, but they did not fit the needs of the project. They did not provide the needed stability, and they were difficult to shape when it came to forming the bends and rolls needed for the hat brims. Thanks to AnnaLivia’s interest in and knowledge of both object and textile conservation, in addition to her knowledge of painting conservation, she had previously heard of a material called Fosshape ®. Fosshape ® is a low-melt polyester fabric that can be manipulated with heat and pressure. After researching the material and discussing with Beth, they decided to run some tests to see if it was the solution.

Figure 4. Rolling the edges of the Fosshape ® fill

The Fosshape ®, after heating, could be shaped as needed, including having the edges rolled inwards to match the hat brim edges. It became quite firm, matching the characteristics of the felt. The lightweight Fosshape ® fills were attached to the hats with a reversible adhesive, so they can be removed safely if they ever need to be in the future. The fill problem was officially solved. With some further fine tuning to the process, the Fosshape ® fills were created, painted to match their specific hats, and attached.

Figure 5. AnnaLivia toning fills

Now that the hats were “whole” again, the final step was to inpaint the designs and images on the hats as needed, followed by a protective varnish.

Figure 6. Good Will Hose, before treatment (left), during treatment, after cleaning (middle), after treatment (right)

The restoration treatment helped to stabilize the hats overall and they are ready for display or storage by the owner. The images and design elements appeared cleaner and brighter so that everything just popped. It was truly a transformation.