Feather ornamentation

Applied Arts

Inventory number
2018.9.21.55.AA.TX.C1910.AH
Description
Feather ornament for hat made at the base of four natural Bird-of-Paradise feathers

With the large hats fashion, at the beginning of the 20th century, hat makers used a very large amount of feathers. With the world's fair in 1889 (The true first colonial exhibition) then the one in 1907, Paris seeks exoticism. The hat maker will then put on the production of extra-odd creations using imaginary birds introduced into an even more intricate decoration. Like the fur giving an indication of the luxury of the person wearing it (a mink coat being more expensive than an astrakan coat for example) the feathers also indicated the level of wealth of the person who wore them. The most popular feathers were Bird-of-Paradise or Ostrich.
Material
Feather
Origin
circa 1910 Austria-Hungary
Dimensions
Length : 15 cm
Height : 4 cm