This accessory is used not only as a decoration or a hat for workers during repairs. There are even special exhibitions where contestants compete to see who has the most original Napoleon hat. Historical museums conduct simulations of the real battle of 1812, in which participants sew their own likeness of military costumes of that time. And there are always a lot of Napoleons with their unique hats.
History of creation
Many people wonder what the correct name for Napoleon's hat is. It has two different names. In wartime in 1812, it was called the “Cocked Hat” or “Double Corner Hat.” Indeed, this headdress resembles a large triangle, which is placed on the head as a hat.
As history reports, the bicorne hat appeared in the 18th century, replacing its predecessor. A hat with three corners was uncomfortable to wear on the head, but a flat headdress with two was liked by everyone.
Usually the great commander of the French army - Napoleon Bonaparte - is associated with this hat. He constantly wore various variations of this headdress. Thanks to this, the name of Napoleon was attached to the hat.
After the commander’s many successes in wars, he had both envious people and admirers. The latter, in turn, tried to become like their idol, and therefore ordered the same clothes. The headdress was his main distinguishing feature. This is exactly how the fashion for making Napoleon’s hat with your own hands began. This way you can show all your creativity.
What is it used for?
Everyone who wants to make such a hat has different goals. Children want to be like the French commander. Collectors collect expensive specimens for subsequent sale or museums. Builders use a Napoleon hat made from newspaper to avoid getting paint on their hair. For each purpose, you need to choose different materials, spend more or less time on work.
Materials
A hat can be made from a wide variety of materials. Builders use plain paper or newspapers.
But, if you approach the issue more carefully and make your own copy of the hat, you need to take dense materials. Such as cardboard, felt, drape, leather. Each of them will have its own patterns and creation technologies.
To make a Napoleon hat with your own hands from paper, you will need the following materials:
- a sheet of black or blue paper;
- scissors;
- glue;
- various buttons or ribbons for decoration.
Step-by-step instruction
Having prepared the necessary materials for making a Napoleon hat from paper, you can begin to study the pattern in detail. You should not try to fold the product yourself, otherwise it may turn out crooked and sloppy.
- Step 1. Take black paper. We draw a square on it. Let's cut it out.
- Step 2. Using scissors, round the corners of the cut out square.
- Step 3. Take a white sheet. We bend it.
- Step 4. Cut the white sheet. We cut the ends, turning them into a kind of fringe. We twist it.
- Step 5. Attach the resulting strips along the perimeter of the black circle.
- Step 6. On the black circle with fringe you need to mark three points.
- Step 7. Make folds to the points. It looks like an equilateral triangle.
- Step 8. You can cut out feathers, skulls and other decorations from white paper. It needs to be glued to the hat. We make holes and insert an elastic band. The product is ready!
In addition to paper, you can use leather material. In this case, the instructions will look like this:
- Step 1. Since the material is quite expensive, the approach must be appropriate. You should take soft leather. Be sure to measure the volume of your head using a centimeter.
- Step 2. Cut out a large square from the leather. Round the edges. Cut a small one inside the large circle, retreating about 30 centimeters. It will look like a steering wheel.
- Step 3. Sew a small circle and a donut.
- Step 4. Place the sewn piece on a pan or plate.
- Step 5. Mark three dots on the brim of the hat. Fold them over and sew them. You will get a hat.
- Step 6. Decorate the hat with feathers or ribbons. Ready!
Another option is to make a Napoleon hat from felt. The material will be soft, but at the same time keep its shape well.
- Step 1. Take black felt. Cut a square out of it. Make an even circle out of it.
- Step 2. Cut a small one from this circle. Then you should have one small circle and a second one with a hole inside.
- Step 3. Sew two circles. Pull the product onto a suitable sized dish.
- Step 4. Fold in the edges of the hat to create the desired shape.
- Step 5. Decorate the product. Ready.
Manufacturing secrets
The main secret to success in the manufacture of any product is attention to detail. It is necessary not only to study the pattern in detail, but also to select suitable materials. Under no circumstances should you use hard leather or felt, otherwise you simply won’t be able to bend the edges of the hat.
Do not use liquid glue to decorate your hat. For these purposes we need another one. Ideally, super glue. Then nothing will definitely fall off.
A glue stick is suitable for paper. It will strengthen the paper well and prevent it from getting wet.
When working with felt and leather, it is better to use a thick needle so that it can easily pierce the material. This is necessary in order to avoid problems with stitching the product.
Before work, it is better to measure the volume of your head so that the hat does not turn out to be too small or too large.
When choosing paper, give preference to one that is colored on both sides. This is necessary so that Napoleon's hat remains the same color at the bends.
Newbie mistakes
The most common mistake is the inability to choose materials. This product has many curves that cannot be neatly done with hard leather or felt. In making such a headdress it is not necessary to use patterns. It is best to visually study how to make a Napoleon hat. Photos can be a good help in this matter.
You should not immediately start working with complex materials. Although they look more presentable, it is better to make the first attempts on paper. This way you can understand your strengths and weaknesses while working on the product. And paper is much cheaper than leather, for example. It wouldn't be a shame to ruin it. And you can always try again.
Price
For needlewomen, the question of the funds that will need to be invested in this or that product is always acute. Materials for applied arts are expensive, and certain crafts require large quantities of them.
Napoleon's hat can be made from ordinary colored paper. You will need to spend about 30-50 rubles per package on it. Felt is also not overpriced. One square of such material can be bought for 70-100 rubles. With skin things are more complicated. This material is expensive and requires special manufacturing skills.
Before starting work, you need to assess your budget and the purpose for which you are going to make the craft.
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Dragoon headdresses: |
| Information: "Napoleon's Dragoons and Lancers" (New Soldier No. 202) |
There were several versions of the dragoon helmet.
At parades, the helmet was decorated with a plume, which was inserted into a special holder located on the left near the socket holding the chin strap.
The length, volume and color of the plume varied within significant limits. Differences were found not only between regiments, but also within the same regiment and even squadron.
The table below, prepared on the basis of Martinet's sources and data from the Alsatian collection, which are somewhat contradictory, shows the colors of the plumes of the dragoon regiments.
| Color | Regiment |
| white | 4,5,8,11,16,17,19,21,23,24,28,29 |
| red | 1,2,9,17,22,30 |
| crimson | 10 |
| green with regimental color top | 1,2,6,19,20,25 |
| red-green | 7,8,12,13 |
| red and white | 12,18 |
| 2/5 red, 2/5 white, 1/5 red | 3 |
| white-yellow | 20,22,24 |
| black with regimental color top | 7,23 |
| green with yellow top | 23 |
In accordance with the rules of 1812, the wearing of plumes was abolished and multi-colored discs were introduced instead. The color of the discs was no longer determined by the number of the regiment, but by the number of the company in the squadron:
all first companies of all squadrons of all dragoon regiments wore discs of red, blue, orange or violet;
all second companies are discs of the same colors, but with a white circle in the center.
This measure, which, according to its organizers, was supposed to put an end to the discrepancy with plumes, in reality turned into even greater chaos - many regiments continued to wear plumes, but the rules regulating the color of the plume no longer existed...
Information sources:
1. "Napoleon's Dragoons and Lancers" (New Soldier No. 202)
2. Funken “Encyclopedia of weapons and military clothing. Napoleonic Wars 1805-1815"
3. “Uniforms of the armies at Waterloo” (Cabaret)
4. Smith “The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Uniforms of the Napoleonic Wars”
5. Highthornthwaite “Uniforms of 1812”
6. North “Military uniform 1686-1918”
7. Bourget, Pigeard “Encyclopedia of Napoleonic Uniforms”
8. Vernet “Uniforms of Napoleon’s Army”
9. Elting “Uniform of Napoleon’s Army”
10. Ridder “Military Museum or Collection of various costumes of the French army”
11. Sokolov “Napoleon’s Army”
12. Margerand “Hats of the French Army”
If you suddenly ask people what Napoleon’s hat is called, then nine out of ten will confidently answer: a cocked hat. And they will be wrong. And if not a cocked hat, then what? We will talk about this in this article, and also tell you how to do it yourself.
What is the name of Napoleon's hat?
Bonaparte's headdress is correctly called a bicorne. It is also called bicorn, which literally translates as “two-horned.” This type of hat appeared at the end of the 18th century, becoming a replacement for the more bulky and non-functional cocked hats. Such a hat was supposed to be worn so that the corners were parallel to the shoulders. Only on a march or on a military campaign was it possible to rotate the bicorne 90 degrees. Later, this style of wearing a hat became a distinctive feature of military personnel close to the imperial court.
But calling Napoleon’s hat a bicorne hat is also not entirely correct. The fact is that the emperor himself was the designer of his hats. That is, they were not part of the military uniform of any of the military branches and were essentially unique. From a scientific point of view, it is most correct to call Napoleon."
The photo shows Napoleon's hat, sold at auction in 2014 for 1.9 million euros (about 145 million rubles).
The French artist Charles de Steuben painted the painting "Eight". In this work, with the help of images of hats alone, he symbolically depicted the main victorious and tragic milestones of the emperor from the first three Italian companies to the exile to St. Helena.
How to make a Napoleon hat with your own hands?
We will look at two options for making a hat. One of them is classic, and the other is a quick one. This is in case the holiday is tomorrow, and you haven’t even started making a costume.
Classic version
The picture shows a cross-sectional diagram of the original military hat of the 1811 model, indicating all sizes and elements. We propose to sew a bicorne very close to the original.
We will need:
- black felt;
- sewing kit: thick threads and needle;
- black tape for edging or velvet tape;
- interlining;
- decorative elements for decoration;
- iron.
- First of all, we make a pattern: side walls, central part, crown and top. The photo shows a replica of the original pattern from Napoleonic times.
- We transfer the pattern to the fabric, secure it with pins and trace it with soap. In order for Napoleon's hat to subsequently hold the forum, each part must be cut out in duplicate. That is, there should be 4 side ones in total.
- We place 1 copy of each part on the table. We put the non-woven fabric on top, cut off the excess, and cover with a second similar piece.
- Iron it through a cloth to glue the parts together. As a result, you should get 2 pieces of the side parts of the hat and one each of the rest.
- We trim all the details around the edge with ribbon or velvet. This way they will look neater.
- We begin to assemble our Napoleon hat. First of all, we sew the crown and sew the top to it. We grind the resulting cap to the part with the hole.
- Next we sew on the fields. The picture clearly shows what we should get in the end.
Now comes the fun part - the time for creativity. It all depends on your imagination. Taking into account the fact that bicorne hats were part of the military uniform of various branches of the military in many countries, even within the framework of the reconstruction of the historical type of hat, there can be a lot of variations: gold cords and tassels, pompoms, feathers, rosettes and ribbons of various colors - individually or all together.
Well, you can completely move away from the historical theme and decorate the hat to your taste.
Quick hat
If you don’t have the time, desire and energy to maintain historical accuracy, then here is a hat option that does not require much time and labor.
We will need:
- cardboard;
- black fabric;
- faux fur or ribbon for trim;
- scissors;
- glue;
- clothespins.
- First of all, we cut out an oval from cardboard, and then from its center of a similar shape, a hole that will correspond to the size of the head.
- We bend the cardboard upward along the lines running along the edges of the inner oval. We try to ensure that the corners are not too sharp, but rather rounded.
- We cover the base with fabric, as shown in the photo.
- We bend the cardboard, glue the upper parts together, and secure them on top with clothespins or office clips. Leave until completely dry.
- We cover the edges of the hat with faux fur, ribbon or other edging.
- That's it, the hat is ready.
As we can see, a bicorne hat, sewn according to the classical canons, can become a completely fashionable and relevant accessory, adding a little shockingness to your image. And a “quick” Napoleon hat can save a costume party, even if you remembered it the day before.
V. Vereshchagin. Napoleon and Marshal Lauriston.
"He is wearing a triangular hat and a gray field coat..." M. Lermontov
Personal belongings of Napoleon Bonaparte. Army Museum of the Invalides' Home. Paris.
The frock coat is in place and the hat is indeed triangular. But not a cocked hat, but rather a two-cornered hat. It's all about the number of ends of the fields curved towards the crown.
Cocked hat.
A cocked hat is a hat with the brim curved so that it forms three corners. It became widespread in the second half of the 18th century.
Cocked hat
Portrait of Emperor Frederick II.
In the first half of the 17th century, a wide-brimmed hat was common in the armies of Western Europe. The wide brim prevented the military from throwing back their heads and were a hindrance when a bulky gun was resting on their shoulder.
The edges of the hat were gradually bent until a fundamentally new, progressive style appeared - with three curved brims.
Tricorne distribution - tricorne in the army dates back to the reign of Louis XIV.
A.F. van der Meulen. Equestrian portrait of Louis XIV.
F. Rokotov. Portrait of Peter the Third in knightly armor.
Emperor Paul the First.
Of course, civilians also picked up this fashion.
F. Rokotov. Portrait of an unknown man in a cocked hat.
Fra Vittore Ghislandi. Noble gentleman in gray. The hat is made of black felt and decorated with gold braid.
Portrait of Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz (detail). The decoration of feathers - mostly ostrich - on the edges of a three-cornered hat was called a plume in the 18th century.
William Hogarth, Lower House. Copper engraving.
Pirate cocked hat
Triangular hats were decorated with braid and feathers. Galun or braid—gold, silver or tinsel (copper, tin) braid. Sometimes gold-woven ribbon, bandage, trim, trim. The main material was twisted yarn or, most often, wrapped with a thinner and more beautiful thread. So, silk, linen or paper yarn is wrapped with gold and silver (real or tinsel) threads, silk - linen and paper, wool - paper. Three-cornered hats were adorned on heads until bulky wigs called allonges came into fashion.
After this, civilians wore a cocked hat under their elbow and used it when bowing, describing intricate figures with it.
The cocked hat was part of the hunting suit. In the first half of the 18th century, women willingly wore a cocked hat.
Portrait of Countess Fosse.
In the army, the tricorne took root as the main headdress and was in use until the appearance of the bicorne hat at the end of the 18th century.
Bicorne.
Gradually, the “three corners” became not too compact. In the army, and then among the civilian population, the double-cornered hat became popular. The double-cornered hat folded easily and took up less space - important qualities, especially since gentlemen did not part with their hats at receptions and balls.
French naval officer's bicorne hat. Early 19th century.
D. Doe. Portrait of Emperor Alexander the First.
A. Safonov. Battle of Borodino.
A. Shepelyuk. Kutuzov during the Battle of Borodino. The officers of the retinue wear double-cornered hats.
In Russia at the beginning of the last century it was called Wellington. Along with the shako, the bicorne hat was a common headdress for officers in the Russian army from 1803 to 1845. The ranks were distinguished by the width and style of the braid on the sides of the hat, by the cockade and plume. In the portrait of Adjutant General Prince A.S. Menshikov (great-grandson of an associate of Peter I) by D. Doe (1826), he is depicted in a bicorne hat with a general’s plume of black, orange and white rooster feathers.
D. Doe. Portrait of A.S. Menshikov.
Worn at an angle forward, “in the field,” it indicates that its owner is a member of the imperial retinue. It was also worn by adjutants, General Staff officers, and engineers. In Russia, before the First World War, the bicorne hat was part of the ceremonial clothing of officials.
Bicorne hat of a Russian official.
In some countries, the bicorne hat is still preserved in the uniform of military and diplomats.
Francisco de Goya, Duke Fernand Nunez. National Prado Museum, Madrid. Double-cornered hat decorated with feathers.
F. Goya. Mahi on the balcony. The swing on the cavaliers is typical double-cornered.
Napoleon's hat.
Now it's time to return directly to Napoleon's hat. This is not a cocked hat, but it is not a typical bicorne hat either. This is what historian A. Zotov writes about her.
"... the entire period of the empire's history is symbolized by just one hat.
Napoleon's hat, which he wore during the 1812 campaign in Russia, from the collection of B. Vader.
You guessed which one. Yes, this is Napoleon's "little hat". It’s a hat, not a cocked or bicorne hat. Such terms did not exist during the imperial era. It should be noted that the hat did not correspond to the uniform of the French army units and was the personal “know-how” of the emperor. The cut of this world-famous headdress dates back to the end of the 18th century. This is exactly the hat that young Bonaparte wore as a student of the Brienne military school. The model of Napoleon's hat remained virtually unchanged over the years (it only became taller and somewhat narrower), and he was the first designer of his own hat. The headdress was made of black felt and had a minimum of decoration: a three-color cockade attached to a black silk braid. The Emperor wearing such a hat was first depicted in a portrait by the artist Isabé, dating back to 1802.
Napoleon's hatter during the imperial period was M. Poupard. He supplied the emperor with hats at a cost of 48 francs apiece. It is known that during the period from March to December 1807, Napoleon had 12 hats, of which 8 were new and 4 were repaired old ones. In a fit of anger, Napoleon sometimes threw his hat on the floor and trampled on it, as happened, for example, during a meeting with the Austrian envoy Metternich in 1813. But when the anger subsided, he always picked it up. A lesser known fact is that during campaigns or on the march, Napoleon wore a velvet cap (the prototype of the modern cap).
V. Vereshchagin. At the stage - bad news for France.
During the campaign in Russia in 1812, Napoleon wore his famous “little hat”, but only on the way from Paris to Moscow. Moreover, at the insistence of the chief surgeon of the great army, Jean-Dominique Larrey, the emperor’s hat was insulated from the inside with woolen fabric in case of severe frosts. This hat has survived to this day and is in the personal collection of Dr. Ben Weider, a renowned Canadian historian. The emperor wore this hat on the Borodino field, and in it he entered the Russian capital. Napoleon left Moscow wearing the same hat on October 19, 1812.
However, he did not wear it for a long time. With the onset of severe frosts, he was already seen in a Russian boyar fur coat and hat.
The famous artist, Charles de Steuben, managed to depict Napoleon's entire life by arranging his hats in different ways. This peculiar charade allows you to read all the glorious and tragic moments of the history of the first empire, without showing the emperor himself
Here's the solution. The first three hats in the top row symbolize the two Italian campaigns and the expedition to Egypt. Three hats in the second row - the empire, its birth, dawn and sunset. The last two are Waterloo and exile to St. Helena.
By the way, on the island of St. Helena, Napoleon also wore hats, sometimes very funny ones."
Fragments of A. Zotov’s article “The Mystery of Napoleon’s Eight Hats” were used, materials from Wikipedia, Internet Project 1812 and sites:
www.1812.ru
www.napoleon ineast.ru/main/article… napoleon a
http://www.russianmontreal.ca/index.
representative of the International Napoleonic Society in Russia
THE RIDDLE OF NAPOLEON'S EIGHT HATS
The most common headdress in the French army of the 18th century was a hat made of black felt, which was an ordinary round hat with a brim curved up on three sides. This is the well-known cocked hat. By the end of the century, the “horn of the hat” (the sharp corner protruding forward) practically disappeared, and the side brims, on the contrary, lengthened. The brim, held in place by hooks or leather loops, now rose steeply, with the front brim being lower than the back. By the end of the Empire (1815) some hats were quite bulky, i.e. and wide and tall, which made their owners tall people. On the left side of the front field there was a buttonhole in the form of a braid, which was sewn at the top to the outer edge of the hat, and at the bottom fastened with an army button. A cockade was attached to the upper part of the braid. Behind the cockade there was a small bracket for attaching a pompom or plume of feathers. The outer edges of the hats were trimmed with colored piping or fluffy fringe made of gold or silver threads. The manner of wearing a hat was very important and, although it largely depended on the imagination and tastes of its owner, as well as fashion trends, one thing remained unchanged - before a battle the hat was always worn so that the corners were above the shoulders, but on a march or campaign it allowed to rotate 90 degrees.
However, the entire period of the Empire's history is symbolized by just one hat. You guessed which one. Yes, this is Napoleon's "little hat". It’s a hat, not a cocked or bicorne hat. Such terms did not exist in the era of the Empire. It should be noted that the hat did not correspond to the uniform of any of the units of the French army and was the personal “know-how” of the emperor. The cut of this world-famous headdress dates back to the end of the 18th century. This is exactly the hat that young Bonaparte wore as a student of the Brienne military school. The model of Napoleon's hat remained virtually unchanged over the years (it only became taller and somewhat narrower) and the first designer of his own hat was Napoleon himself. The headdress was made of black felt and had minimal decoration - a three-color cockade attached to a black silk braid. The Emperor wearing such a hat was first depicted in a portrait by the artist Isabé, dating back to 1802.
Napoleon's hatter during the Empire was M. Poupard. He supplied the Emperor with hats at a cost of 48 francs apiece. It is known that during the period from March to December 1807, Napoleon had 12 hats, of which 8 were new and 4 were repaired old ones. In a fit of anger, Napoleon sometimes threw his hat on the floor and trampled on it, as happened, for example, during a meeting with the Austrian envoy Metternich in 1813. But when the anger subsided, he always picked it up. A lesser known fact is that during campaigns or on the march, Napoleon wore a velvet cap, the prototype of the modern cap.
During the campaign in Russia, in 1812, the emperor wore his famous “little hat”, but only on the way from Paris to Moscow, and at the insistence of the chief surgeon of the Grand Army, Jean-Domenique Larrey, the emperor’s hat was insulated with woolen fabric from the inside in case of emergency. severe frosts. This hat has survived to this day and is in the personal collection of Dr. Ben Weider, a famous Canadian historian and world-famous businessman, author of a number of books on the study of the life and especially the mystery of the death of Napoleon, who kindly agreed to provide a photograph of the famous Napoleon hat for our publication.
The emperor wore this hat on the Borodino field, in which he entered the defeated Russian capital. Napoleon left Moscow wearing the same hat on October 19, 1812.
However, he did not stay there for long. With the onset of severe frosts, he was already seen in a Russian boyar fur coat and hat. This rare moment in history was captured for us by the great Russian artist V.V. Vereshchagin.
But let's return to the riddle of Napoleon's eight hats.
The famous artist Charles de Steuben managed to depict Napoleon's entire life by arranging his hats in different ways. This peculiar charade allows you to read all the glorious and tragic moments of the history of the First Empire without showing the emperor himself. The painting was painted at a time when the restored monarchy of Louis XVIII was very worried about the place it occupied little corporal in the hearts of the French people.
Here's the solution. The first three hats in the top row symbolize the two Italian campaigns and the expedition to Egypt. Three hats in the second row - the empire, its birth, dawn and sunset. The last two are Waterloo and a link to Fr. St. Helena.
By the way, on the island of St. Helena, Napoleon also wore hats, sometimes very funny ones. But more on that next time.
Published in the Library of the Internet project “1812” with the kind permission of the author.
