I photographed this at an antiques shop in Niles, CA. As you might know, I am a recovering (aka broke) hat collector and former EMS worker, so this was especially hard to pass up. I’m not sure if it was for a costume given that the embroidery is so crooked, but the chapeaux itself does seem like a legit uniform hat. It’s not in the best shape either; it looks like it got a lot of wear. Whatever the case, I’m so glad to see it preserved!
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Allee Willis
Ooooh, that’s a good one. What restraint on your part! Though i can’t imagine wearing it being anything other than annoying while you’re trying to save someone’s life.
denny
OMG, I WANT IT but knowing me and my gargantuan sized head, it wouldn’t fit.
windupkitty
I know, this was soooooo hard to pass up, but it was $50 and not in great shape (lots of mildew/age spots). And yeah, if this was a real uniform hat, then it’s definitely from the early days of ambulances. When EMS first started it was all load n’ go, there weren’t many systems in place to deliver medical care on scene. I can’t imagine trying to work someone up with this thing in the way! Often you are right on top of each other trying to stabilize the patient..there’s just NO room!
Yeah, Dens, this hat woulda been waaay too small for you. It was on the small side. BUt maybe we can make you a bigger one..If you ask me, ambulance workers were grossly underrepresented in The Village People…If I make you a hat, I’m counting on you to remedy that situation….