Bowler hat - Definition and Overview

Bowler hat 1916

The bowler hat is a hard felt hat introduced by a Norfolk landowner William Coke in the 19th century. It offered a midway between the formality of the top hat associated with the upper classes and the casual nature of soft felt hats worn by the lower middle classes. It was the traditional headwear of London city 'gents' and has become something of a British cultural icon. However British men stopped wearing hats as a matter of course in the 1960s, and most young British people in the 21st century have never seen a bowler hat worn as part of normal dress. It was traditionally also worn by members of the Orange Order in Northern Ireland during their 12th July annual parades, though usage has declined.

Bowler hats were famously associated with British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, the comedians Laurel and Hardy, the film A Clockwork Orange and feature in many of the paintings of Belgian Surrealist artist René Magritte. In Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot, the only description of costume is that all four major characters wear them. Today, the bowler hat is also known as a symbol of John Steed, of Avengers fame, and of the clarinetist Acker Bilk.

It is similar to the American derby hat.

Men who wore Bowler hats

• Stan Laurel
• Oliver Hardy
• Charlie Chaplin
• Benito Mussolini