1890s Hat Racks and Stands

A wonderful original antique bentwood hatstand / coat rack by Thonet. This was made in central Europe in Austria, it dates from around the 1890-1900 period. It is a fantastic and ve...

English Bamboo Hanging Hall Rack with Mirror, circa 1890s. Five bold horseshoe motif coat or hat hooks. Bevelled mirror plate. Oak top shelf. Decorative metal finial drops & brass ca...

An excellent antique free standing bentwood stained beech coat, hat and stick stand, attributed to Thonet, circa 1890 in date. It features a central pillaster complete for six cloa...

This rare 19th century wicker hat/coat stand features a very unusual loosely woven braid over a central flat reed wrapped wooden pole. There are six pegs for hanging with intricately...

A wonderful antique hatstand / coat rack, likely made by Thonet in Austria, and dating from the 1880-1900 period. This has an unusual and useful de...

English Victorian carved mahogany hall stand with tiles and the original brass hooks. Featuring an oval bevelled mirror and a marble surface, and...

19th century French Louis XVI mahogany hall tree is the ideal choice for any entryway, especially the one the family uses the most. It's a great pie...

This amazing hat & coat tree or rack is in fantastic condition. The patina is the very best.Just amazing. It is in very sturdy condition.

Antique Victorian bentwood hat and coat stand in good original condition and lots of character. The top section spins around, which makes it very pr...

Direct from England, from the antique fairs near London, one of several outstanding small carved oak antique footstools/tables from our last buying trip. It is Such a Challenge to fi...

Antique bentwood Thonet style hat and coat stand in excellent original condition and dating to circa 1890-1910 period. This is quite a slim small mode...

Also known as a "hat block" these forms were used by milliners to shape a cowboy hat by heating the beaver pelt up against the mold and pounding with a wooden mallet. John Stetson used this process in making the first cowboy hat in the 1860s in his manufacturing plant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. These wooded molds were hand carved rather than turned on a lathe so that different and unique styles could be created. As John Stetson said after traveling extensively across the western United States "a cowboy hat kept the sun out of your eyes and off your neck. It was like an umbrella. It gave you a bucket (the crown) to water your horse, and a cup (the brim) to water yourself. It made a hell of a fan, which you need sometimes for a fire, but more often to shunt cows this direction or that". That pretty much sums up the attributes of a cowboy hat. I purchased a "Stetson" collection years ago from a collector very near Philadelphia, so this could very well be a Stetson hat mold. I know of no other millineries in the late 1800s who were making western hats. Wooden hat blocks are to be found, but it is rare to find a western hat mold, especially with the two pieces together, the brim and the head body and crown. They would have become separated at some point in time over the years. My example is being held together by brass "L" brackets which makes a great "Stand alone": display, or can be hung on the wall to accommodate hanging a cowboy hat. Markings on the base are: 4 1/4 7 3/8 1931 and H.G. (see image). "7 3/8" probably suggests the hat size and "1931" probably suggests the style or inventory number; "H.G." suggests, perhaps, the actual name of the style. This hat mold is in very good and all original condition, very sturdy, and makes a nice presentation. Dimensions: (overall) 13" long x 11" wide x 7" high. I have included a Christmas, Santa Claus Stetson salesman sample box...