These are two 19th century engravings featuring the wearing of the tricorn hat by gentlemen and soldiers in the eighteenth century. The name relates to the three corners in the hat design (tri = 3). Interestingly the design provides a sort of gutter for the rain to run away from the wearer. It’s a wide brim hat often worn with the point to the front. The crown is low and barely visible. Tricorns survive today as part of the dress uniform of the Chelsea Pensioners in the UK. The Tricorn evolved into the Bicorn (e) the two pointed hat.
I was recently watching Turner Classic Movies and came across the 1935 version of Mutiny on the Bounty. Charles Laughton makes a gift of one of his Tricorn Hats to the native King of Tahiti. Apparently, Captain Cook had promised a visit by King George or a fancy hat. King George presented his “regrets”- oh yeah! Captain Bligh had to pay up the promised hat out of his own pocket (or off his head) – nice plot story and a sort of poetic justice. I doubt that this was historically true. It made for some visual amusement and it was a very handsome hat I must say.
You can still get your very own Tricorn Hat if you need one for a historical play or re-enactment or just for Halloween perhaps. Here’s a site selling some upscale leather replicas.
