Firemen's parade hats are an important part of the great tradition of volunteer firefighters from the late eighteenth century up to the Civil War. Not the helmets worn while frequently performing fire-fighting duties, parade hats were takes on proper top hats donned on celebratory occasions, emblazoned with specifically chosen symbolic imagery to represent pride in individual engines, patriotism, and the heroic status of volunteer firemen. Popular imagery included the eagle, America's national symbol, an American Indian and images of national heroes such as Franklin, Washington, and Jefferson. Fire companies competed and vied for attention within their own communities and when visiting other cities, particularly in parades celebrating special occasions such as the return of the marquis of Lafayette to the United States in 1824, the completion of the Erie Canal in 1825, the celebration of the Revolution of 1830 in France, and the laying of the cornerstone of the Washington Monument. The 1832 Philadelphia parade honoring the birthday of George Washington, a volunteer in his own time, included thirty-seven fire companies and drew a crowd of one-hundred thousand. Although most hats are unsigned, many are known to have been painted by artisans who were members or friends of fire companies, and some professional artists also dabbled in parade hat embellishment. A letter an Englishman wrote while visiting Philadelphia in 1819 emphasizes the heroism and esteem of volunteer firemen at the time: "You have no idea of the consequence of a fire company. It is the summit of the hopes and wishes of one-half of the clerks, counterhoppers and quill drivers in the city. A trumpet in one hand, a spanner wrench in the other and a lantern affixed to his leather belt and he is in the zenith of his glory" (Ditzel, Fire Engines, Fire Fighters, p. 76, as quoted by Booth and Booth, p. 101)

THE WILLIAM PENN HOSE COMPANY PAINTED CEREMONIAL PARADE FIRE HAT

PROBABLY PENNSYLVANIA, MID-19TH CENTURY

Details

THE WILLIAM PENN HOSE COMPANY PAINTED CEREMONIAL PARADE FIRE HAT
PROBABLY PENNSYLVANIA, MID-19TH CENTURY
the top initialed WP
7¼ in. high

More from Important American Furniture and Folk Art

View All