A stroke of Victorian design genius to keep your head perspiration and oil free
Design for a Bonafide Ventilating Hat , 1849, Inventions That Didn't Change The World, by Julie Halls, published by Thames & Hudson
Throughout the 19th century no respectable person would go outside without wearing a hat, and for most of the Victorian period top hats were worn by middle-class men. They became a symbol of urban respectability. Early Victorian top hats were heavy, and the 'Bonafide Ventilating Hat' was one of several designs registered which attempted to tackle the problem of a build-up of steam, perspiration and hair oil that resulted.
