Cookie Consent by Free Privacy Policy website TIP OF THE HAT! A social history of the covered head
october 12, 2016 - Wien Museum

TIP OF THE HAT! A social history of the covered head

Hats and head coverings offer not only protection against wind and weather. As much as people talk about hats, hats themselves speak – as symbol and statement. They communicate #fashion preferences, convey information about religious and cultural affiliation, reveal political attitudes, and offer tangible evidence concerning a person’s social rank and standing. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the hat makes the person.
Tip of the Hat! follows these lines of thought, developing a social history of the covered head from the Revolution of 1848 to the present. Spread over five thematic concentrations, the exhibition reflects on social processes and relates Viennese history – starting, of course, with the head. Hats emerge as symbols of power, as conspicuous expressions of affluence, and as signs of status. Caps are equally multi-faceted, serving by turns as a component of a uniform, as a #fashion accessory, or as a marker of political conviction. Hoods, yarmulkes, and headscarves function as a personal “trademark” or as a symbol of religious and cultural identity. Hats tell stories about their wearers and about their particular place in Viennese society. A central aim of the exhibition is to make Viennese #fashion history legible as social history. Approximately 140 objects are on view, among them 100 hats and other kinds of headwear. A portion of the objects on display stem from the Wien Museum’s vast #fashion collection.

TIP OF THE HAT!
A social history of the covered head
Wien Museum Karlsplatz, 1040 #vienna 9 June to 30 October 2016


Tuesday through Sunday and holidays, 10 a.m to 6 p.m. www.wienmuseum.at