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Welsh costume hat
Part of complete stage costume of Clara Novello Davies' Royal Welsh Ladies choir, 1930s. Worn by Mrs Gwen Jones, member of Royal Welsh Ladies Choir, Pontypridd, Glamorgan. The choir from Pontypridd travelled in north America and Europe and performed in their Welsh costumes. They were selling Wales to the world.
The hat is contained in large black wooden cylindrical box with metal fixings, leather straps/metal buckles and metal/painted cardboard handle on side. It has original travel tag (card attached to string).
Black tall hat with 7cm wide brim; and made for wear on stage; covered with black tabby woven synthetic fabric: 1 circular piece for crown, 1 rectangular piece each for inner and outer sides, 1 piece each for upper and lower surface of brim, edge of brim bound with continuous length of black synthetic tabby tape; continuous length of black synthetic tabby tape as hat band with separate stitched bow made of same material; core of hat made from stiffened/coated fabric, visible at inside of crown (yellow and black stitching threads have been used to attach circular crown to sides); inside possibly also made from card although it is not visible; inner lining was formerly gathered but is now loose and flops down from crown. All hand-stitched (with large, coarse stitches, combination of tacking stitches and overcast stitches) - apart from vertical seams on fabric used to cover outer and inner sides of hat (which are stitched by machine). Outside edge of brim, outside edge of crown and inner lower edge are reinforced by fabric-wrapped metal wire.
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