Well Happy Feast
of Duane everyone! I’m hoping all of you have been cleaning your rifle guns and
sewing new gear and repairing the old stuff for the next great holiday Late
season Muzzleloader hunting season! Ive been busy sewing up tears in my gear
and making sure everything is a go for the opening day. I was heading out the
door for a quick hunting trip with Levi but the railroad gods decided to put a
stop to that. So now I am putting off sewing a pair of new mittens and shaving
down a ramrod to write this.
One item I’ve been messing with for
quite some time is a fur cap. Ive found several references over the years and
seen them pop up in images to the point I know they are common. Its funny in a lot of circles such a totally
European garment is ignored because of the fact wearing one might make you look
a little too rendezvous to a modern mindset.
Ive spent hours talking to the Bertolino about this very subject. If you want to see an angry Italian just post
a progressive event guidelines and watch him go. Its like watching Sharks
feeding.
Its
appropriate as this is the Night of the Bertolino in the Feast of Duane. So
lets go into a weird cap that would look appropriate on the head of the living
embodiment of Yukon Cornelius. Looking
for original fur caps I’ve found some awesome originals but not what many would
call a “Canadian cap”. Since the
construction of the workman’s cap has come into question, I thought I’d look
more into this. Digging for images on the cap I thought I’d start with the
source for all things American Furry and strange, Benjamin Franklin. His
sporting of a fur Marten skin cap became a symbol of America.
Looking
at images made of franklin at the time you can see the wool of his cap just
sticking out above the fur. Since there was no evidence of a front slit, I
assumed it was not made like the surviving Jefferson or Jefferies fur caps but
rather “turban” fashion. This style was also shown being worn by Hogarth and
tucked into images by Hogarth. The thing that stood out to me on these images
is that no seams were present like the way we have traditionally done the
Canadian caps (you know the triangles sewn together) but it seemed to have more
in common with the night cap (gathered at the top)
So
I simply made a wool broadcloth “night cap” and sewed a lining inside the way
18th century hats were done and attached beaver fur to the outside. If I was to
do this again, I would have the fold of the cloth reach higher on the outside
and attach the fur at the top as well as the bottom and possibly put a line of
interfacing in it as well.
This attempt is simply an educated guess and
just how some of these caps may have been constructed. Im by no means saying
all fur caps were made the same. I’m
still on the hunt for original Fur caps
in museum collections as the number of times these pop up in images is
crazy and with the amount of pelts being shipped to Europe during the little
ice age some more construction info has to be out there.
was just sent this image Germany 18th century
This
one is way more comfortable then one I had made years ago using the triangle
method and the lining and lack of multiple seams gives it more “give” to adjust
it while Ime wearing it. I’m still trying to get more info on the construction
of the Jefferson/Jefferies hat as wearing a bobcat skin cap is just the level
of ridiculous I’m personaly Ok with.
The source of the Fur for this was
simply an old beaverFur cloak I picked
up at an antique store that was pretty damaged so I didn’t feel bad cutting it
apart. I plan on using some of the fur to line a pair of mittens and perhaps
make a Fur Muff. One thing that. Itll
come in handy with talks with the public in showing them a beaver felt hat
versus a beaver fur cap. Like I alluded to tons of pelts were being shipped to
Europe for the garments industry and showing the public just what fur was used
for really helps nail down the global impact of the fur trade. Its also
important in my modern trapper mindset to educate people of the use of
sustainable items like real Fur over the use of petroleum based Faux fur
(that’s as modern political as you’ll see me get on here). Yes Kids Faux fur is
bad for the environment and is just terrible.
So
I hope your Feast of Duane is going good and you are ready for the real season
of reenacting…The Winter!
