December 16, 2005

Calling anyone who's ever worn clothes! Do you recognize any of these hats?

Studying a culture's clothing teaches us so much about its people. Colors, designs, and styles may designate status. The materials used can reflect the animals and plants that share that part of the world, as well as the type of climate in which they all dwell. These three hats came into the collections of the Spurlock Museum without any cultural designation. In order to teach with them, we need to learn who wore them, when they wore them, and why they wore them. Have you seen hats like these? If so, let us know. Email Kim Sheahan, our Assistant Director of Education (ksheahan@uiuc.edu), who would love to include these hats in programs for people of all ages.

Thanks for your help!