Hat With An Attitude

During my Sunday Crowns program, audience members modeled their hats. This lady wore a hat which she called "A Hat With An Attitude."

Grandma's Hat Display

In the parlor of the Newsome House where my Sunday Crowns program was held, I did a display of some of my grandmother's hats along with a photo of myself and women in my maternal line wearing hats. Other items used in the display included a patent leather pocketbook, bible cover with a woman weaing a hat, and a tablecloth owned by my grandmother. The white gloves were purchased were purchased recently to add to this display.

The Church Fan

When the Curator of the Newsome House and Cultural Center suggested that the programs for “The Sunday Crowns” event be printed on church fans, I agreed enthusiastically. She had attended an event where the program was printed on a hand fan. I had no idea as to the beauty of the final product, but I thought the fan idea was appropriate for such an event.

Hand church fans typically used in African American churches are on thick cardstock paper and a stick like the type a doctor uses as a tongue depressor. On the cardstock, there is typically a photo on the front and advertisement of a funeral home on the back.

Use of these hand fans conjures up a whole host of memories. During my childhood in the 1970s, many of the fans might have a photo of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. or of an African American family dressed in church attire which included at least the mother in the family photo wearing a hat. The family on the photo was usually a mother, father, with two children (a boy and girl). My church had air conditioning, but hand fans might be used during those in between seasons where it was not warm enough to turn on the air conditioning. Some of the rural churches within our church organization did not have air conditioning and during hot and humid summer Sundays, a sea of rapidly moving hand fans filled the sanctuary as the congregation struggled to be attentive to the service amidst the heat. Over time, the cardstock on these hand fans would become bent. During these times, parishioners would motion for the usher to give them a better fan. However, at times there were not enough hand fans to go around so you would either use the bent hand fan as best you could, the church program to fan yourself, or just use your hand. This was especially uncomfortable during those hot and humid non-air conditioned churches.

Church fans are also used by ushers to calm down its parishioners who “fall out” or “get happy” during services. In charismatic type churches, people are extremely lively and might express their joy in praising God by hand clapping and dancing. Some parishioners get so overcome in their expressions of praise to God that they “fall down on the floor in a trance-like state. Others might express their praise by crying, dancing, hollering, and/or speaking in tongues. It is common for ushers and other members of charismatic type churches to be seen surrounding a “God-Praiser” with someone waving a ‘church fan’ in the direction of the person who has fallen out on the floor or the one who might be seated or standing while praising God.


Thanks to B. J. Smothers and Art Thomas for use of your hat photos.

Church Hats Program

Family History of Hats

Revella Ephraim McDaniel born about 1878 in Union Church, Mississippi.
Courtesy of LindaRe of Between the Gate Posts Blog

LindaRe of Between the Gate Posts Blog has s long history of hat wearing women in her family and through her assortment of photos, you can see the changes in hat styles over time. Click here to view photos.

What types of hat wearing photos do you have in your family photo collection?

The Custom of Hat Wearing

This question was posed by one of my blog readers and I've been also wondering the same thing---The wearing of hats was a custom for many generations---what made them go out of style/custom?

Sunday Crowns Program

I am working on a program (Sunday Crowns) about church hats for next month which will be held at a local historic house. Part of the presentation will be to talk about the hat wearing women in my family and other families. I also plan to display some of my maternal grandmother's hats. As part of my research, I would like to interview hat wearing women or their descendants. Although my research focus is hat wearing by African American women, I would also like to know about hat wearing habits of women of other races and cultures.

If you are a hat wearing woman or the descendant of one, and are interested in sharing a photo or story to be used in my presentation, please email me at professordru@yahoo.com. The program will be held Saturday, February 18, 2012, 3 PM – 5 PM.

Young Niece and Nephews Enjoy Using Flip-Pal Scanner

My young niece and nephews, ages 6, 2, and 10 enjoyed using the Flip-Pal scanner during a recent visit. First I showed the 10 year old how to use scanner and afterwards, he showed the 2 and 6 year olds.

Each One Teach One!

Young Niece and Nephews Enjoy Using Flip-Pal Scanner

It was a spur of the moment descision on my part to let me young niece, age 6 and her brother, age 10 to use my new Flip-Pal scanner. I did not intend for my 2-year-old nephew to get in on the action, but after watching his older cousins use the mache, he wanted to get it on the action. With a little guidance he sucessfully scanned in a family photo.