Bowler Hat Collection

Charlie Chaplin in Modern Times (1936)

Audience Of One
circa 1926: A solitary member of the public seated in front of a band stand, listening to the brass band. (Photo by General Photographic Agency/Getty Images)

Naunton Wayne as Blakeworth
enters the rail station

An Englishman in Moscow, 1913-1914. Artist: Kazimir Malevich
An Englishman in Moscow, 1913-1914. Kazimir Severinovich Malevich (February 23, 1878 - May 15, 1935) was a painter and art theoretician

Yootha Joyce and Brian Murphy in George and Mildred 1976 TV programme

Mr. Churchill contemplates the ruins of the House of Commons, bombed in May 1941, 1941 (1955). Incendiary bombs which fell on the nights of 10

Bus Driver
March 1929: A set of instruments on a bus route survey vehicle for measuring distance, gradient and camber on roads used by the London General Omnibus Companys fleet of buses

Young Gents
February 1958: Eleven year old Major Thompson, dressed as a future diplomat, explores Kensington Gardens in London with his nanny and two friends. (Photo by Russell Knight/BIPs/Getty Images)

Tetley shire horses, Roundhay Park, Leeds, West Yorkshire, 1968. Artist: Michael Walters
Tetley shire horses, Roundhay Park, Leeds, West Yorkshire, 1968. The world famous shire horses gave service to the company for 184 years

A man in a barrel crossing the Niagara Falls, illustration from Le Petit Journal
XIR346392 A man in a barrel crossing the Niagara Falls, illustration from Le Petit Journal, supplement illustre, 9th October 1910 (colour litho) by French School

Hole in the Wall Gang, Fort Worth, Texas, 1900 (b/w photo)
415581 Hole in the Wall Gang, Fort Worth, Texas, 1900 (b/w photo) by Rose, Noah Hamilton (1874-1952); Denver Public Library, Western History Collection; (add.info.: In Fort Worth, Texas)

Racehorse trainer Stanley Wootton (right) seen here with apprentice jockey Charlie Smirke. Smirke went on to become one of the greatest flat jockeys in English horseracing. Circa 1920

Candidate for Oldham, 1899, (1945). Creator: Unknown
Candidate for Oldham, 1899, (1945). Portrait of British politician and statesman Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) who stood as a Conservative parliamentary candidate at the June 1899 by-election in

London Docks
1893: No 1 quay at London docks. Officials are watching a ship being unloaded. (Photo by London Stereoscopic Company/Getty Images)

Mr Gutbush, The Swanley Station Master. 1938

Get Ahead Get A Hat
31st July 1950: Three bowler hats on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. (Photo by Ron Gerelli/Express/Getty Images)

Interior of the winter Bierhaus in Vienna by Wilhelm Gause (1853-1916), watercolor 20th century, Historisches Museum der Stadt Wien (History Museum)

Men In Boat
circa 1900: A group of men wearing bowler hats and playing instruments in a rowing boat. An English concertina on the left and a button accordion on the right

At the Ranelagh Horse and Polo Pony Show. Miss Dorothy Lawson, Mrs John Lawson and Miss Alison Lawson. 1931

Presentation of medals to special constables at Petworth Park, March 1930
Lord Leconfield presenting medals to special constables in Petworth Park George Garland Collection West Sussex Record Office Ref No: Garland N3062

Good thing cows don't fly, or we should need gas masks! (colour litho)
8656086 Good thing cows don't fly, or we should need gas masks! (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Good thing cows don't fly)

James Agate, English journalist and author (b/w photo)
8676191 James Agate, English journalist and author (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: James Agate (1877-1947)

"Street life in London": street doctors, 1877 (print on double-weight paper)
3570750 "Street life in London": street doctors, 1877 (print on double-weight paper); (add.info.: London, Great Britain 1877 Photographer: Thomson, John;Sampson Low, Marston)

Vienna, at the horse races at the Prater
3569890 Vienna, at the horse races at the Prater by Unknown photographer, (19th century); (add.info.: Vienna, Prater, Austria 26/05/1889 Photographer: Unidentified Author); Alinari Archives, Florence

The exchange office, situated in front of the Charing Cross train station, in London
3569960 The exchange office, situated in front of the Charing Cross train station, in London by Unknown photographer, (19th century); (add.info.: London, Charing Cross Station)

A passenger on the ship, "Ville di Maranhas", 1893 (print on double-weight paper)
3566958 A passenger on the ship, "Ville di Maranhas", 1893 (print on double-weight paper); (add.info.: Africa 1893 Photographer: Unidentified Author); Alinari Archives, Florence.

"Street life in London": Cast-iron Billy, 1877 (print on double-weight paper)
3570764 "Street life in London": Cast-iron Billy, 1877 (print on double-weight paper); (add.info.: London, Great Britain 1877 Photographer: Thomson, John;Sampson Low, Marston)

Portrait of musicians seated at a bar, postcard
3568652 Portrait of musicians seated at a bar, postcard; (add.info.: Europe 1900 ca. Photographer: Betty Atelier); Alinari Archives, Florence.

Rubber wheels for bycicles, Cartoon from Punch 1911 (engraving)
5616660 Rubber wheels for bycicles, Cartoon from Punch 1911 (engraving); Universal History Archive/UIG.

Group of gentlemen with horses
3562648 Group of gentlemen with horses by Unknown photographer, (20th century); (add.info.: Great Britain 1910-1920 Photographer: Unidentified Author); Alinari Archives, Florence.

View of Regent Street in London
3569940 View of Regent Street in London by Unknown photographer, (19th century); (add.info.: London, Regent Street, Great Britain 1898 Photographer: Unidentified Author); Alinari Archives, Florence

English group photographed in front of the entrance to his villa in China
3561816 English group photographed in front of the entrance to his villa in China by Unknown photographer, (19th century); (add.info.: China 1890-1900 Photographer)

Four young women wearing men's hats behind a screen (coloured photo)
8656005 Four young women wearing men's hats behind a screen (coloured photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

The softness is just here (b/w photo)
8656502 The softness is just here (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The softness is just here. Man pointing to his head)

Portrait of a British family in the garden of his villa in China
3561813 Portrait of a British family in the garden of his villa in China by Unknown photographer, (19th century); (add.info.: China 1890-1900 Photographer: Unidentified Author); Alinari Archives

"Calli, Canali e Isole della Laguna", edition by Ferdinando Ongania
3560755 "Calli, Canali e Isole della Laguna", edition by Ferdinando Ongania, group portrait in front of the Loggetta and the base of the bell tower of San Marco

"Street life in London": cheap fish of St. Giles's, 1877 (print on double-weight paper)
3570763 "Street life in London": cheap fish of St. Giles's, 1877 (print on double-weight paper); (add.info.: London, Great Britain 1877 Photographer: Thomson, John;Sampson Low, Marston)

"Street life in London": The "wall worker", 1877 (print on double-weight paper)
3570759 "Street life in London": The "wall worker", 1877 (print on double-weight paper); (add.info.: London, Great Britain 1877 Photographer: Thomson, John;Sampson Low, Marston)

"Street life in London": "Caney" the clown, 1877 (print on double-weight paper)
3570752 "Street life in London": "Caney" the clown, 1877 (print on double-weight paper); (add.info.: London, Great Britain 1877 Photographer: Thomson, John;Sampson Low, Marston)

Best wishes for the New Year (chromolitho)
8635590 Best wishes for the New Year (chromolitho) by German School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Best wishes for the New Year, greetings card. Postcard, early 20th century)

Nick Riggs, between c1915 and c1920. Creator: Bain News Service
Nick Riggs, between c1915 and c1920.

H.P. Davison, between c1915 and c1920. Creator: Bain News Service
H.P. Davison, between c1915 and c1920.

J.H. Patterson, between c1915 and c1920. Creator: Bain News Service
J.H. Patterson, between c1915 and c1920. Shows industrialist John Henry Patterson (1844-1922), who founded the National Cash Register Company.

G.W. Wickersham, 1918. Creator: Bain News Service
G.W. Wickersham, 1918. Lawyer and Presidential Cabinet Secretary George Woodward Wickersham (1858-1936) at a rally for the Fourth Liberty Loan Campaign, Federal Hall

Les Soubresauts de la Russie; Au retour d'un voyage de propagande en Russie, le ministre... 1917. Creator: Unknown
Les Soubresauts de la Russie; Au retour d'un voyage de propagande en Russie, le ministre socialiste francais Albert Thomas, accompagne du general Kornilof, passe, le 26 mai 1917

The King of Italy in France; The King of Italy and his father-in-law, September 28, 1917, Creator: Unknown
The King of Italy in France; The King of Italy and his father-in-law, September 28, 1917, in Neuilly, on the doorstep of the hotel inhabited by the King of Montenegro, 1917

Charles Dikran Kelekian, 1910. Creator: Mary Cassatt
Charles Dikran Kelekian, 1910. Cassatt portrays the 12-year-old son of her friend and art consultant Dikran Kelekian

Inter-allied Solidarity; On the steps, Marshal Douglas Haig and General Wilson... 1918. Creator: Unknown
Inter-allied Solidarity; On the steps, Marshal Douglas Haig and General Wilson. The first meeting of the Higher Inter-Allied War Committee at Versailles

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"The Bowler Hat: A Timeless Icon for an Audience of One" From Charlie Chaplin in Modern Times (1936) to Naunton Wayne as Blakeworth, the bowler hat has graced the heads of many iconic figures throughout history. It symbolizes a bygone era, evoking images of Mr. Churchill contemplating the ruins of the House of Commons after it was bombed in May 1941. But this humble headpiece is not limited to political leaders and film stars alone and has also been worn by everyday heroes like bus drivers and special constables, who received medals at Petworth Park in March 1930. Its versatility knows no bounds, as seen when a man donning a bowler hat crossed Niagara Falls while inside a barrel—an illustration from Le Petit Journal that captured both daring and style. In popular culture, Yootha Joyce and Brian Murphy sported these hats in the beloved George and Mildred TV programme from 1976. The London Docks became their backdrop—a testament to how this accessory transcends time and place. The bowler hat even found its way into art forms such as Ken Russell's Troubadour: The Penny Farthing Bicycle photo series from 2006. This whimsical juxtaposition showcases how tradition can merge with modernity effortlessly. Let us not forget Mr Gutbush, The Swanley Station Master from 1938—his trusty bowler hat completing his distinguished look while overseeing train operations. So why should you get ahead? Get a hat. Because whether you're strolling through history or making your mark on contemporary society, the timeless charm of the bowler hat will always be there to elevate your style—and ensure that you stand out among an audience of one.