Merino and fancy hats made by Wilson, Matheson & Co, clothing manufacturers, are illustrated in the firm's wholesale and export trade list c 1872.
The merino and fancy hat department on the third floor of the warehouse at 42 Glassford Street produced "hats made from every imaginable sort of material, and suitable for all climates". At a time when the British Empire was expanding rapidly and the African and Asian colonies attracted tens of thousands of Scottish administrators, engineers and merchants, there was a particular demand for tropical helmets. Other specialist hats such as police helmets were also made by the firm.
Reference: Mitchell Library, GC 381.1410941443 WIL
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
British Empire, clothing manufacturers, hats, merino, police helmets, trade catalogues, tropical helmets, warehouses, Wilson, Matheson & Co