Bowler Hat

The bowler is a low-crowned, stiff-brimmed felt hat. The first bowler hat was sold on December 17, 1849. It was designed by hatmakers Thomas and William Bowler for Lock and Co of St James, London, and was ordered by the British soldier and politician Edward Coke for hunting. According to legend, when Coke arrived to pick up his hat he placed it on the floor and stood on it to test its strength. Satisfied, he paid his 12 shillings (60p).

Bowler hat By Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation 

The Bowler hat was called billycock for a time, after William Coke.

General Gordon hardly spent anything on himself and he often wore shabby clothes. The general left China to head to England in his gunboat towing his new suit in the water to make it look old and crumpled to go with his bashed-in bowler hat.

It was Queen Victoria's oldest son Prince Edward who popularized the bowler hat to wear in town.

It became in the 20th century (and remained until the 1970s) the indispensable headgear for English men working in the City. 

The bowler hat transcended British shores and gained popularity worldwide, particularly in the American West and South America. It was favored by cowboys, railroad workers, and even women in Bolivia and Peru.

The bowler hat has become deeply embedded in popular culture, appearing in countless films, television shows, and literature. It's often associated with characters like Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, and the Mad Hatter from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the bowler hat was adopted by subcultures like mods and skinheads, who reinterpreted it as a symbol of rebellion against traditional norms and fashion.