Our Treasures: Chip off the old hat block

The museum holds a couple of hat blocks,like this wooden one shown here and it is believed to be from the 1930s. On the base are the numbers 22I/2 (presumed to be inches as well as the price – 33/9).

OPINION

Following on from a recent article about hat boxes, I thought I might look at other related hat items, for example, the wooden hat block.

Hat blocks were common in Victorian times and usually made of wood, with a head-shaped top and a supporting base. Later developments saw the blocks made with movable parts to allow for different sizes and to follow the fashion trends of the time. These blocks are now collectors’ items and keenly sought-after.

Essentially hat blocks were a milliners’ tool for the shaping of felt hats by applying steam to the surface of the hat while stretching the felt into shape. Many Victorian households used blocks to store hats on to ensure they kept their original shape.

The museum holds a couple of hat blocks, the wooden one shown here and a more complex example with adjustable sections. The wooden block is believed to be from the 1930s.

Inscribed on the base are the numbers 22I/2 (presumed to be inches as well as the price – 33/9).

The museum holds a couple of hat blocks, like this wooden one shown here and it is believed to be from the 1930s. On the base are the numbers 22I/2 (presumed to be inches as well as the price – 33/9).

Some hat blocks could be used as a stretcher, designed to increase the size of an existing hat. The block comes in two halves with a screw mechanism in the middle to allow the block to be gradually expanded.

Advances in technology saw the introduction in the 1940s of aluminium blocks or “hot blocks” as they were known. These blocks were placed over an electric cone and were heated to shape the hat.

Hats were once an essential item of clothing, particularly prone to fashion fads and often driven by the economic status of a country. My late mother was a milliner in the 1930s and would never be seen out without a hat, even doing the grocery shopping. During World War II she worked as an outworker at home making hats. I recall playing with her wooden hat block when I was a small child.

Hats remain in vogue, perhaps due to the influence of the British royal family and events such as race day fashion parades.

Alison Sofield, Volunteer Collections Kiwi North