Biography
When and where was the bowler hat first designed, and who wore them?
The Basics
Although associated in the modern mind with City gents carrying furled umbrellas to work, the bowler hat was once much more widely seen in society. It was worn by all classes of men, from street traders to gamekeepers, an indication of its genuinely practical nature.
From the 1850s to Today
The history of the bowler hat, invented in England in the mid-19th century, is a microcosm of our modern social history.
