Top Hat Collection

Advertising vignette for Champagne wines representing a couple dancing around a cup
AIS5371857 Advertising vignette for Champagne wines representing a couple dancing around a cup, 20th century (poster) by Nogues, Xavier (1873-1941); eIberfoto; Spanish, out of copyright

Isambard Kingdom Brunel Standing Before the Launching Chains of the Great Eastern, 1857, printed 1863-64

ISAMBARD KINGDOM BRUNEL (1806-1859). English engineer. Brunel before the Great Eastern steamships braking drum chains, which lowered the ship from the slip for launching: photograph, 1857

Fred Astaire in Mark Sandrichs Top Hat (1935)
Fred Astaire in Top Hat (1935)

Marlene Dietrich in Josef von Sternbergs The Blue Angel (1930)
Marlene Dietrich in The Blue Angel (1930) Der Blaue Engel

Harpo Marx in Leo McCareys Duck Soup (1933)
Harpo Marx in Duck Soup (1933)

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill holding a Thompson submachine gun whilst smoking a cigar, during a visit to coastal defence positions near Hartlepool in the Second World War. 31st July 1940

Mrs Lloyd George, David Lloyd George, Winston Churchill and Mr Clarke
Mrs Lloyd George (L), Chancellor of the Exchequer David Lloyd George (2nd L), the President of the Board of Trade Winston Churchill (2nd R), and Lloyd-Georges private secretary

The Devilfish in Egyptian Waters. An American cartoon from 1882 depicting John Bull (England)
IMPERIALISM CARTOON, 1882. The Devilfish in Egyptian Waters. An American cartoon from 1882 depicting John Bull (England) as the octopus of imperialism grabbing land on every continent

LLOYDs OF LONDON, 1890. The Great Room of the English insurance company, at the Royal Exchange in London, England. Line engraving, English, 1890

Last of the Summer Wine actors in top hats and tails. L-R Bill Owen, Peter Sallis and Brian Wilde. 22nd January 1982

J. M. W. TURNER (1775-1851). Joseph Mallord William Turner. English painter. Pencil drawing
J.M.W. TURNER (1775-1851). Joseph Mallord William Turner. English painter. Pencil drawing, 1844, by Charles Martin

Old Sea Dogs
Artist: Titcomb, William Holt Yates - Title: Old Sea Dogs - Date: 1891 - Original Medium and Size: Oil on Canvas 157.5 x 121.9

Poster by James Montgomery Flagg from the 1940 presidential campaign, supporting the re-election of President Franklin
PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN, 1940. Poster by James Montgomery Flagg from the 1940 presidential campaign, supporting the re-election of President Franklin D. Roosevelt

ALICEs MAD-TEA PARTY, 1865. Alice joins the March Hare, the Hatter, and the Dormouse for a Mad-Tea Party. Wood engraving after the design by Sir John Tenniel for the first edition of Lewis Carrolls

Marlene Dietrich in Josef von Sternbergs Blonde Venus (1932)
Marlene Dietrich in Blonde Venus (1932)

DUKE ELLINGTON (1899-1974). American musician and composer. Photographed in 1934 by Maurice Seymour

Stock Exchange
circa 1820: The London Stock Exchange from a drawing by Thomas H Shepherd. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Le Smart Carman. Ne porte que des diamants de Bluze, by Auguste Roubille (1872-1955), print
Posters, France, 19th century. Le Smart Carman. Ne porte que des diamants de Bluze. Print by Auguste Roubille (1872-1955)

Sell and Repent, 1817 (coloured etching)
XCF270015 Sell and Repent, 1817 (coloured etching) by Dighton, Richard (1795-1880); 32.9x23 cm; National Portrait Gallery, London, UK; (add.info.: Thomas Hall (fl.1817); ); English, out of copyright

Portrait of Thomas Cholmondeley, first Lord Delamere, on his Hunter: A study for
XYC158035 Portrait of Thomas Cholmondeley, first Lord Delamere, on his Hunter: A study for The Cheshire Hunt at Tatton Park (oil on panel) by Calvert

CARROLL: ALICE, 1865. Alice joins the March Hare, the Hatter, and the Dormouse for a Mad Tea Party. Wood engraving after Sir John Tenniel from the first edition of Lewis Carrolls Alices Adventures in

LIGHTNING ROD UMBRELLA. Line engraving, French, 1873

Bill Sykes, 1939. William Bill Sikes is a character from the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (1812-1870). From the Dickens Character Series produced by Copes Cigarettes, 1939

World War II poster of Uncle Sam and President Franklin Roosevelt
Vintage World War II propaganda poster featuring Uncle Sam and President Franklin Roosevelt. It reads, I Want You FDR. Stay And Finish The Job!

Magician pulling rabbit out of hat
UNITED STATES - CIRCA 1930s: Hands of magician performing magic trick, pulling rabbit out of top hat. (Photo by H. Armstrong Roberts/Retrofile/Getty Images)

Pub sign for the Stork at Rest near Gravesend, Kent, England 4 January 1969

Eton versus Harrow at Lords. Miss Violet Loraine ( Mrs Joicey ) with her husband, Mr E R Joicey, and their sons John and Richard. 1932

With one more stroke to the shapely head, He fell across the picture - Dead The face upon the floor
DRINKING, 1925. With one more stroke to the shapely head, He fell across the picture - Dead " The face upon the floor." Illustration, c1925, by John Held, Jr

MOVIE THEATER, 1920s. Interior of an unidentified New York City motion picture theatre showing a film with Buster Keaton, 1920s

Jack Buchanan in Herbert Wilcoxs Yes Mr Brown (1933)
Jack Buchanan

Poster for WC Fields Season at BFI Southbank (4 - 31 January 2010)
WC Fields Million Dollar Legs Eddie Cline

One-Man-Band - With all his complicated apparatus and his collecting box stuck on the end of his clarinet, the one-man-band makes a return to Cardiff - 13th March 1948

His Girl, The Huntsmans Meet. Creator: Victor Venner
His Girl, The Huntsmans Meet

Opening of Parliament, 1886
Members of Parliament taking the oath during the opening ceremonies, 1886. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th-century illustration

David Love (1750-1827), Ballad-Writer
Barber, Thomas Oil on Canvas 76.2 x 63.5

Horse-riders going toward the Bois de Boulogne; Cavaliers se Rendant au Bois de Bologne
825256 Horse-riders going toward the Bois de Boulogne; Cavaliers se Rendant au Bois de Bologne, 1888 (gouache on board) by Toulouse-Lautrec

Politics in an Oyster House, 1848 (oil on fabric)
WLT211553 Politics in an Oyster House, 1848 (oil on fabric) by Woodville, Richard Caton (1825-55); 40.6x33 cm; Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, USA; American, out of copyright

Labor Ipse Voluptas, 1869. Artist: Charles Samuel Keene
Labor Ipse Voluptas, 1869. The perils of smoking are highlighted in this cartoon. Tobacco affects how a man looks, and his energy levels. From Punch, or the London Charivari, May 22, 1869

AUSTEN: EMMA, 1896. He stopped to look the question. Illustration by Hugh Thomson for an 1896 edition of Jane Austens Emma, first published in 1815

STEAM TRICYCLE, 1888. Inventor Lucius D. Copeland demonstrating his steam tricycle, known as the Phaeton Moto-Cycle, outside the north entrance of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C

Black Friday 1869
Illustration of the scene in the Gold Room of the New York Stock Exchange when the stock market crashed on Black Friday, New York, New York, September 24, 1969. Drawing by C. S

Austria, Stagecoach travel, ink drawing
Austria - 19th century. Coach. Ink drawing

Portrait of Giuseppe Verdi, 1886 (pastel)
7146667 Portrait of Giuseppe Verdi, 1886 (pastel) by Boldini, Giovanni (1842-1931); Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Rome, Lazio

The Masked Ball (colour photo)
3091199 The Masked Ball (colour photo) by French Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Masked Ball. Postcard, early 20th century.); © Look and Learn

Advertisement for Rices Seeds (colour litho) (recto of 3601175)
3601174 Advertisement for Rices Seeds (colour litho) (recto of 3601175) by American School, (19th century); Collection of the New-York Historical Society, USA; eNew York Historical Society; American

Mr Teazy Weazy Raymond hairdresser at Royal Ascot, June 1970 Morning suit and top hat Seventies fashion male

Mr. Chamberlain and Mr. Churchill, 23 February 1940, (1945). Creator: Unknown
Mr. Chamberlain and Mr. Churchill, 23 February 1940, (1945). Winston Churchill (1874-1965) and British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain (1869-1940)

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"From Isambard Kingdom Brunel to Fred Astaire: The Timeless Elegance of the Top Hat" Step back in time and explore the fascinating history of the iconic top hat. First popularized by English engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, this distinguished headwear symbolizes sophistication and class. In a captivating image, we see Brunel standing proudly before the launching chains of his masterpiece, the Great Eastern. But it wasn't just engineers who donned this stylish accessory. Entertainers like Fred Astaire and Harpo Marx brought their own flair to the top hat. Astaire's graceful moves in "Top Hat" (1935) left audiences mesmerized, while Marx's comedic antics in "Duck Soup" (1933) added a touch of whimsy. The top hat even found its way into political cartoons, portraying England as an imperialist octopus grabbing land across continents. Meanwhile, old sea dogs and influential figures like Mrs Lloyd George, David Lloyd George, Winston Churchill, and Mr Clarke were often seen sporting these timeless hats. Literature also embraced this fashion statement; Lewis Carroll's Alice joined the Mad Hatter for a topsy-turvy tea party immortalized by Sir John Tenniel's wood engraving in "Alice Adventures in Wonderland" (1865). J. M. W Turner captured its elegance with his pencil drawing that showcased both artistry and refinement. Not limited to individuals alone, institutions such as LLOYDs OF LONDON featured grand rooms where gentlemen gathered wearing their finest attire – including their beloved top hats – as depicted in an exquisite line engraving from 1890. Even Hollywood recognized the allure of this headpiece; Marlene Dietrich exuded glamour when she wore it in Josef von Sternberg's "The Blue Angel" (1930), adding an air of mystery to her character. Through centuries and across various realms.