Historical information

"Calvert Model" hats were designed by Frank Tisdale. A Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales on Friday 7 September 1973 (No.117), page 3941, recorded that: "CALVERT MILLINERY PTY LIMITED (In Liquidation), formerly trading as Frank S. Tisdale.—A first and final dividend is intended to be declared in the above matter. If persons claiming to be creditors have not proved their debts or had their debts admitted by the liquidator by 24th September, 1973, they will be excluded from this dividend.—Dated this 3rd day of September, 1973. P. J. WOODWARD, Liquidator, 32 York Street, Sydney." Therefore the hat must predate 1973, and given that it is in the style favoured by the actress Audrey Hepburn (the style of the hat has been called an "Audrey") the hat probably dates to the 1960s.

Significance

The Kew Historical Society’s fashion and design collection is comprised of costumes, hats, shoes and personal accessories. Many of these items were purchased or handmade in Victoria; some locally in Kew. The extensive hat collection comprises items dating from the 1860s to the 1970s. While most of the hats in the collection were created by milliners for women, there are a number of early and important men’s hats in the collection. The headwear collection is particularly significant in that it includes the work of notable Australian and international milliners.

Physical description

High crowned brown straw hat with a downward sloping rim. The design includes brown ribbon at the base of the crown. A label on the inside back rim identifiies the hat as "a Calvert Model".

Inscriptions & markings

Label: "a Calvert Model"