Miscellaneous, Hat, Vintage, 101 Ranch, 18X, Horsehair Band, Attributed to Bill Pickett, Antique, 766

HATS OFF TO THIS AMAZING ANTIQUE TOPPER!

This fabulous felt hat isn’t just your average vintage cowboy hat, this one is attributed to the legendary ‘Bulldogger’ Bill Pickett, one of the most revered Black cowboys in history. Born and bred in central Texas, Pickett garnered fame for his steer-wrestling skills and stunts, and began appearing in county fairs and rodeos, traveling with his act throughout Texas, Arizona, Wyoming, and Oklahoma. Pickett was a member of the 101 Ranch Wild West Show that featured the likes of Buffalo Bill, Will Rogers, Tom Mix, Bee Ho Gray, and Zach and Lucille Mulhall. He eventually became so popular he traveled all over the world and even appeared in motion pictures likeThe Bull-dogger andThe Crimson Skull. Pickett died in 1932 as the result of a head injury incurred from a bronco kick, and has been posthumously inducted into several Halls of Fame, had the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo created in his honor to celebrate Black cowboys, and now has a statue of himself performing a bull-dogging maneuver proudly installed in the Fort Worth Stockyards.

• hallmarks: 101 Randh, EIGHTEEN X/QUALITY
• materials: 18X felt, silk lining, leather sweatband, horsehair band, metal findings
• measurements: interior: 6 3/4 diameter, brim: 3 1/2", crown: 4"
• vintage condition
• dust accretion
• discoloration and staining from wear
• wear to edges of ribbon
• some misshaping of the crown
• lining is partially detached
• surface wear commensurate with age
• wear from use
• Misc766