I set up a tabletop studio in our living room, which has amazing window light, to shoot a few projects. Now my wife is using the setup to shoot her collection of feather hats from the 1940s and 1950s. There must have been a massive global market for bird pelts at that time. The craftsmanship of the milliners is amazing.
Feather Hats
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Feather Hats
Michael Reese Much FRMS EMS Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA
The bird hat craze drove many bird species to near extinction back in the early 1900s. It was one of the reasons for the founding of the Audubon Society. The feathers in your wife's hats look like domestic pheasant and partridge plumes, which would probably have been captive-bred.
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plume_hunting
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plume_hunting
Where do you see partridge feathers, 5th picture can fool, but it's still a pheasant, unless you have a very special breed of partridge. As a semi-pro former fly tyer and an ornithologist I can see only:Lou Jost wrote:The feathers in your wife's hats look like domestic pheasant and partridge plumes, which would probably have been captive-bred.
-domestic pheasant (hen and c o c k)
-domestic (hen and c o c k) neck or saddle
-quinea fowl
-mallard or wood duck (orange, colored)
-duck or goose feathers (white and brownish)
I used to tie a lot but then my asthma and allergies got me and I had to sell everything I had. I have handled hundreds of bird skins, wings, tails etc. and I can say that when you find the first little sign of pests in your collection...it's gonna be hard.
- Rane
I said "pheasant or partridge", which means I wasn't sure about some of them. I am sure you are right about the additional species you mentioned. The main point is that these seem like almost entirely domesticated birds.
Olympusman, the color balance seems wrongly set. Too warm. Many parts of those feathers should be white but appear orange-ish, at least on my monitors, in Firefox.
Olympusman, the color balance seems wrongly set. Too warm. Many parts of those feathers should be white but appear orange-ish, at least on my monitors, in Firefox.
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- Joined: Sun Jan 15, 2012 12:31 pm
Feather Hats
Thanks, everyone. I'm not an ornithologist, but I spotted many pheasant, prarie chicken and guinea hen. Many of the hats in the collection appear to feature chicken feathers dyed to various hues.
I printed one of these to 13X19 and was blown away.
35mm Macro Olympus Four Thirds lens at f14 and stacked in Zerene Stacker.
Mike
I printed one of these to 13X19 and was blown away.
35mm Macro Olympus Four Thirds lens at f14 and stacked in Zerene Stacker.
Mike
Michael Reese Much FRMS EMS Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA