The history of hat making, or millinery, spans centuries and reflects both fashion trends and social customs. Early hats served primarily practical purposes, offering protection from the sun, cold, and rain, with evidence of head coverings dating back to ancient civilizations such as Egypt, Greece, and Rome. By the Middle Ages and Renaissance, hats became symbols of status and identity, with elaborate designs and materials denoting wealth, occupation, or social rank. The 17th to 19th centuries saw the rise of professional milliners, particularly in Europe, who crafted hats for women using fine fabrics, straw, feathers, ribbons, and decorative trims, blending artistry with technical skill. Industrialization and global trade introduced new materials and styles, expanding accessibility while influencing fashion trends. In the 20th century, hats evolved from daily necessity to fashion statement, with designers and milliners creating iconic styles that reflected cultural shifts. Today, millinery continues as both a craft and art form, preserving traditional techniques while innovating with contemporary design, couture, and custom creations.
All of the book titles that are included in this DVD are listed as follows:
A complete course in millinery; twenty-four practical lessons detailing the processes for mastering the art of millinery; a text book for teachers of millinery. A guide for the millinery workroom by J. Bottomley (1919)
A seasonal industry, a study of the millinery trade in New York by M. Van Kleeck (1917)
A short treatise on head wear, ancient and modern by A. C. Goater (1885)
A treatise on hat-making and felting, including a full exposition of the singular properties of fur, wool, and hair by J. Thomson (1868)
An essay, on the manufacture of straw bonnets by S. Standley (1825)
Aprons and caps by Womans Institute of Domestic Arts & Sciences (1944)
Catalog by Boyden, Malloy & Co. (1875)
Catalogue fall and winter 1891 by Deutsch & Co. New York (1891)
Chart of bias cutting by M. O. Ginsburg (1919)
Cleaning and reshaping felt hats a home chore (1939)
Complete guide to millinery of Kintzel millinery school by M. Kintzel (1915)
Concerning millinery by K. J. Giblin (1902)
Dresses and bonnets and ribbons by Lord & Taylor (1870)
Dressmaking and millinery by E. Bryner (1916)
Fashion book novelties, costumes, mantles, millinery, etc. by Debenham & Freebody, London (1874)
Fashion for Fall 1859 by Beebe & Co, New York (1859
Fine millinery fall and winter styles for ladies, misses and children, 1899-1900 by H. O'Neill & Co. (1899)
Head-gear, antique and modern, illustrated by R. H. Wadleigh (1879)
Home millinery course; a thorough, practical and complete series of lessons by The National Millinery Company (1909)
Home millinery, Madame Margariete's manual by M. A. Creamer (1920)
How to handle hats by G. H. Woodrow (1905)
Instructions in hat cleaning by 'An Expert Hatter' (1920)
Ladies Hats & Bonnetts by Lord & Taylor (ca. 1895)
Le Compagnonnage des chapeliers bruxellois by G. Des Marez (1909)
Le petit maître by M. Melcher (1896)
Lloyd's treatise on hats with twenty-four engravings containing novel delineations of his various shapes, shewing the manner in which they should be worn by R. Lloyd (1819)
Make your own hats by G. A. Martin (1921)
Manual for a millinery department by University of Pittsburgh (1922)
Millinery - French pattern bonnets, and round hats by H. O'Neill & Co. (1879)
Millinery as a trade for women by L. Perry (1916)
Millinery by C. R. Aiken (1922)
Modern millinery; a workroom text book containing complete instruction in the work of preparing, making and copying millinery by H. B. Lyon (1922)
Real beauty in knit goodsby Mohawk Valley Cap Factory (1909)
Scientific hat finishing and renovating by H. L. Ermatinger (1919)
Straw hats, their history and manufacture by H. Inwards (1922)
The Canadian Millinery Review (Jan - Dec 1910)
The chemistry of hat manufacturing; lectures delivered before the Hat Manufacturers' Association by W. Smith (1906)
The hatter's guide, or scientific instructor by R. Holmes (1919)
The Ladies' self instructor in millinery and mantua making, embroidery and appliqué, canvas-work, knitting, netting, and crochet-work by unknown author (1853)
The milliner's guide, a complete handy reference book for the workroom, embraces the professional experience of ages by J. Bottomley (1917)
The twentieth century hat factory by D. C. Mills (1910)
Twelve letters to a young milliner by S. A. Higgins (1883)