Looking for earliest known image of a person wearing a hat.
May 7, 2009 12:31 PM Subscribe
Please provide me with the earliest known image of a person wearing a hat. Just about anything goes: vague dates, person holding a hat, animal wearing a hat.
Are you looking for the earliest known image of someone wearing a hat, or an image of the earliest person in history who is wearing a hat? Is it the age of the image, or the hat wearing that is critical?
Do you want paintings, or photographs?
posted by Brockles at 12:34 PM on May 7, 2009
Do you want paintings, or photographs?
posted by Brockles at 12:34 PM on May 7, 2009
I found this in a search for "earliest photographs", scroll down for the woman in the bonnet.
posted by amanda at 12:36 PM on May 7, 2009
posted by amanda at 12:36 PM on May 7, 2009
Clarify this please. Do you mean an actual dated image of someone wearing a hat (or head covering) or an image showing the earliest suspected evidence of someone wearing a hat. Hats (head coverings) go back as long as people had heads, were exposed to the sun, and could find a palm frond - millions of years. Or what Brockles asked.
posted by elendil71 at 12:39 PM on May 7, 2009
posted by elendil71 at 12:39 PM on May 7, 2009
Best answer: I'm not sure if this is what you're after, but here's a cave painting that's at least 1500 years old. "The faceless human like-like figures painted in red and black, are seen are painted in a standing position with their arms up and their head covered in a strange hat."
posted by iconomy at 12:39 PM on May 7, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by iconomy at 12:39 PM on May 7, 2009 [1 favorite]
I'm sure this seems rather old hat to you (1838)
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:42 PM on May 7, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:42 PM on May 7, 2009 [1 favorite]
Well, many people believe that the Venus of Willendorf (comfortably over 20,000 years old) is depicted wearing a woven hat or headdress of some sort. Does that count?
posted by dersins at 12:43 PM on May 7, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by dersins at 12:43 PM on May 7, 2009 [2 favorites]
It's been suggested that the Venus of Willendorf is depicted with a headdress. It dates to between 22,000 and 24,000 BCE.
posted by mr_roboto at 12:44 PM on May 7, 2009
posted by mr_roboto at 12:44 PM on May 7, 2009
This is an unbelievably awesome question. My hat's off to you! [What, I'm DQ'd?]
Assuming you accept paintings, the cave paintings will be your very best. But query whether you want to clarify what you mean by "hat." Does it include ritualistic headgear designed to evoke an animal spirit? Or is it something to keep the rain off, or for style? Does it have to cover the scalp, whatever the purpose?
posted by Clyde Mnestra at 12:44 PM on May 7, 2009
Assuming you accept paintings, the cave paintings will be your very best. But query whether you want to clarify what you mean by "hat." Does it include ritualistic headgear designed to evoke an animal spirit? Or is it something to keep the rain off, or for style? Does it have to cover the scalp, whatever the purpose?
posted by Clyde Mnestra at 12:44 PM on May 7, 2009
Best answer: dersins is right that the Venus of Willendorf has been interpreted as wearing a hat, though others believe it is a complex hair braid. A similar figurine from Kostenki at 27,000 years old is much more plausibly a hat (scroll down page to the image that shows the Kostenki Venus from behind - also note the compelling evidence for woven fabrics at that time).
Etchings from the La Marche palaeolithic cave show some fairly unequivocal hats, said to be approximately 15,000 years old.
This actual hat from Washington State is about 2,500 years old.
posted by Rumple at 1:02 PM on May 7, 2009
Etchings from the La Marche palaeolithic cave show some fairly unequivocal hats, said to be approximately 15,000 years old.
This actual hat from Washington State is about 2,500 years old.
posted by Rumple at 1:02 PM on May 7, 2009
amanda, the dude resting his foot on the whatsit (water pump?) in the lower left corner of the photo appears, on examining the larger view of the photo, to be wearing a hear covering of some sort. On the other hand, this is around 23,838 years more recent than the Venus of Willendorf.
posted by dersins at 1:06 PM on May 7, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by dersins at 1:06 PM on May 7, 2009 [1 favorite]
I know we are talking depictions of hats, but I also wanted to mention the actual hat that Otzi, the Tyrolean "Ice Man", was wearing - 5300 years old.
posted by Rumple at 1:11 PM on May 7, 2009
posted by Rumple at 1:11 PM on May 7, 2009
amanda, the dude resting his foot on the whatsit (water pump?) in the lower left corner of the photo appears, on examining the larger view of the photo, to be wearing a hear covering of some sort. On the other hand, this is around 23,838 years more recent than the Venus of Willendorf.
He is getting a shoeshine, and incidentally (because he is standing in place through a lengthy exposure) he is inadvertently becoming the first person captured on film.
And he has a hat. If the OP is looking for the oldest photo of someone wearing a hat, by definition he should look no further.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 1:19 PM on May 7, 2009 [1 favorite]
He is getting a shoeshine, and incidentally (because he is standing in place through a lengthy exposure) he is inadvertently becoming the first person captured on film.
And he has a hat. If the OP is looking for the oldest photo of someone wearing a hat, by definition he should look no further.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 1:19 PM on May 7, 2009 [1 favorite]
Agreed, but s/he stated s/he's looking for the oldest image, by which s/he may or may not mean "photo."
posted by dersins at 1:24 PM on May 7, 2009
posted by dersins at 1:24 PM on May 7, 2009
Hats are very common in ancient Egyptian carvings and statues.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 2:04 PM on May 7, 2009
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 2:04 PM on May 7, 2009
It looks like the VoW wins, but in case there's a dispute, the Sumerians indeed have some good candidates.
posted by paultopia at 2:15 PM on May 7, 2009
posted by paultopia at 2:15 PM on May 7, 2009
Well, that could be a hat or a head-bob. I dunno... it's not a very compelling hat. I'm also not swayed by Miss Venus -- my internet armchair diagnosis of this ancient Austrian babe suggests that that is one damn fine hairstyle. Or, a swimming a cap?
posted by amanda at 2:32 PM on May 7, 2009
posted by amanda at 2:32 PM on May 7, 2009
I'll see your "definition of hat" and "definition of early" and raise you one "hypothetical photograph with two hats."
posted by chairface at 4:36 PM on May 7, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by chairface at 4:36 PM on May 7, 2009 [1 favorite]
I just re-read the question. Picture of "animal wearing a hat"? WTH?
posted by Clyde Mnestra at 4:47 PM on May 7, 2009
posted by Clyde Mnestra at 4:47 PM on May 7, 2009
Dude posts and disappears ...
Another AskMefi illustrating the need for a good practice when posting a question: COME BACK within an hour and check the first few answers, to find out what you needed to clarify.
posted by intermod at 7:05 PM on May 7, 2009
Another AskMefi illustrating the need for a good practice when posting a question: COME BACK within an hour and check the first few answers, to find out what you needed to clarify.
posted by intermod at 7:05 PM on May 7, 2009
Response by poster: Thanks all, I didn't mean photo but the photo angle was great.
posted by bdc34 at 7:11 AM on May 8, 2009
posted by bdc34 at 7:11 AM on May 8, 2009
Well, if you actually care about this, you will probably want to clarify whether "image" includes statuary, and the other questions above.
posted by Clyde Mnestra at 9:01 AM on May 8, 2009
posted by Clyde Mnestra at 9:01 AM on May 8, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by amanda at 12:34 PM on May 7, 2009