Wide brimmed woven raffia hat

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A wide brimmed woven raffia hat (a) with a detachable hat band (b). The braided straw has been blocked to shape to form the hat’s structure. The raffia structure of the hat consists of two strands of two-ply twine woven together. The braided straw spirals outward from the top center of the crown and is machine stitched into place. Two rows of black machine stitching connect the crown to the brim. The brim is wider in the front and shorter at the back of the hat. Navy blue bias-cut velveteen is stitched to the underside of the brim. Two metal wires are encased in the straw brim – one wire is folded into the brim edge, and one is encased in the velveteen underbrim’s edge. The interior of the hat is unlined. A black Petersham ribbon is stitched along the inner crown.

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