This top hat was made by J. Y. Davis and worn by President Abraham Lincoln the night he was assassinated at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. on April 15, 1865. President Lincoln’s iconic top hat style dates back to at least the 1830s, when he was seen in New Salem, Illinois, wearing a top hat and a grey suit. While the top hats of the 1830s had a more curved line, a brief period in the 1850s saw the popularity of the stove pipe hat, a top hat with an eight-inch crown and straighter sides. Lincoln became president on March 4, 1861 and earlier served in the House of Representatives.
This top hat was made by J. Y. Davis and worn by President Abraham Lincoln the night he was assassinated at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. on April 15, 1865. President Lincoln’s iconic top hat style dates back to at least the 1830s, when he was seen in New Salem, Illinois, wearing a top hat and a grey suit. While the top hats of the 1830s had a more curved line, a brief period in the 1850s saw the popularity of the stove pipe hat, a top hat with an eight-inch crown and straighter sides. Lincoln became president on March 4, 1861 and earlier served in the House of Representatives.
