Hat

This example of a hat, apparently in European style, is one of very few in existence. It seems to represent an eighteenth-century Hawaiian experiment with a new European form.

Materials and construction
The hat is shallow crowned and feather covered, with a wide circular brim. It is constructed of twined basketry framework, probably of split aerial roots of `ie`ie vine (Freycinetia arborea). Tiny bundles of feathers are tied onto a netting of olona fibre (Touchardia latifolia) attached to the frame. The hat comprises mainly red feathers with a band of yellow around the edge of the brim and alternating bands of black and yellow on the crown. The underside of the brim is also covered in red feathers.

Acquisition history
Very little is known about the history of this hat. Records indicate that it was part of a collection purchased by Charles Winn, grandfather of Lord St Oswald, at the sale of Bullock's Museum in London in 1919. It was in Bullock's Museum in 1805, indicating that that it was probably collected in the Pacific in the late 1700s. Mr Winn paid £2, 4 shillings for the item (Lot 28).