Men's Top Hats

Dunlap & Company - Dickerson & Company Dunlap Robert Dunlap was an errand boy for Charles Knox of Knox Hats in New York prior to starting the high end men’s hatters known as Dunlap & Company. He began working for Charles Knox at the age of 12 when his mother brought him to Knox Hats and requested that Charles Knox hire her son. He swept floors and was a general errand boy earning $3.00 a week. He was a quick learner and was promoted to salesman status. He continued to sell Knox hats for several years at the time earning $12.00 a week. He felt he deserved more money and asked for a raise of $3.00 which would have brought his salary to $15.00 a week. Mr. Knox refused the raise. Dunlap left the Knox Company angry and started Dunlap & Company. By the late 1890s Dunlap Hats was a well-known established company that other hat makers looked to for trends. Dunlap marketed themselves to the high-end market and their advertisements made it known that not just anyone would have a Dunlap hat. One ad in particular read, “Whenever you see a man’s initials inside a Dunlap Hat, you picture him as either a young man who rows on college crew or a mature man who presides over a board of directors. A Dunlap Hat is associated with men who appreciate fine things because it is a conspicuously fine thing itself.” Robert Dunlap was such a good marketer and hatter that the Dunlap hat eventually outsold the Knox Hat. For many years small hat makers and knock-off competitors would hold up production of their hats until Dunlap unveiled theirs and then would copy the Dunlap style. As fashions changed so did the hat industry and both Knox and Dunlap began to see a decrease in business. Knox acquired Dunlap in 1918 but hats continue to be produced under the Dunlap name. Dickerson and Company was a relatively small hatter and Dunlap produced hats for them. Not much is know about this company. The Bowler Hat as it is called in England was first introduced in the 1850’s. It became popular in the United States in the 1860’s and continued its popularity well into the early 1900’s. Americans refer to the Bowler as a Derby Hat. It was made popular by the Earl of Derby who frequently wore one and thus was given its name. The Top Hat was popular throughout most of the 19th century. Some people have said it was a fitting fashion tribute to the Industrial revolution of the 19th century since the hat resembles a chimney top. At one point top hats were worn by nearly all men and then were gradually replaced by the bowler hat with middle class citizens. If you look through satirical cartoons of the late 19th century you will find that many poke fun at upper class men in their top hats.