|
Porkpie is a popular variety of hat made with felt or non woven cloths and occasionally with straw. Porkpie emerged in the 19th century and crown of this hat is short and concave shaped. This variety of hat has a marked resemblance with the feodora or Trilby but only has a flattened top.
Porkpie earned its name owing to its similarity with pork pie. The hat is often regarded as a women's hat. This type of hat was popular among the British for several years. The credit for popularizing the hat goes to Robert Oppenheimer, a renowned physicist, designated as the father of atom bomb. In a Physics Today issue, porkpie hat featured for the first time together with physics equipments. Many readers associated the hat with Robert Oppenheimer. The hat also became popular with many eminent personalities and celebrities. The hat was quite common with Dean Martin, the popular singer. The hat was also associated with comedian Buster Keaton, who wore his own handmade hat in his various films.
Porkpie hats emerged in New Guinea in the year 1944. It was the time when the Australians have defeated the Japanese. A book named Australian in the War of 1939-1945 Series 1 Army Volume VI The New Guinea Offensives mentions about the porkpie hats.
In the following years the porkpie hats became highly popular with the blues, ska and jazz musicians. Many eminent writers mentioned about this popular variety of hats in their works. The most prominent among them being the famous American jazz composer Charles Mingus who wrote”Good Bye Porkpie Hat” an elegy for Lester Young. The hat became popular in Jamaica in 1960s. The credit for popularizing the hat in this country goes to rude boy subculture. They were highly fascinated by the British porkpie during their trip to United Kingdom.
The popularity of the hat can be felt from the fact that the Jamaican artists choose porkpie as a subject for their compositions. Laurel Aitkin, the famous ska artist of Jamaica wrote a song “ Give Me Back My Porkpie Hat”, the song which became very popular in the later years. Jeff Back's album “Wired” based on a jazz fusion was an interpretation of ”Good Bye Porkpie Hat”. Porkpie hats were also mentioned in the famous cartoon Pinky and the Brain. Here The Brain has been named in accordance with the hat he was putting on, the porkpie hat.
For more information on Hats browse through our website accessorieszing.com.
|
