Two-cornered hat (two-cornered hat) of an officer of the Guards crew of the period of the 1850s-80s

Triangular hats as a headdress of naval officers originated in the XVIII century . At the end of the 1800s, a round cockade in the form of a cloth rosette was placed on one field of the hat, secured with a buttonhole made of a braid of the color of a metal device, fastened with a uniform button. Finally, the appearance and design of hats were formed by the 1820s. Silver tassels with an admixture of black and orange silk were attached to the corners of the hat. A leather collar and a white silk lining were sewn inside the hat. By the beginning of the 1850s, the triangular hats of all categories of officers of the navy and coastal services were replaced by shakos, however, with the general reform of naval uniforms in 1855, they were restored to admirals, and from 1857 to officers. Hats of the time of Alexander II formally had the same elements as in the reign of Nicholas I (crown with brim, cockade, buttonhole, button, collar, lining, brushes), but differed from their predecessors by a much smaller height and specific shape of the brim. Formally , the hat pattern did not change until 1917 . In fact, the hats of the 1850s - 1880s differed from the later ones with a lower height and straight brim at the top, while the hats of the late XIX – early XX centuries. the upper part of the brim was almost a regular semicircle.

One of the cadets of the Marine Corps, who had an internship on the training frigate "Prince Pozharsky" in the 1890s, later recalled that two officials (apparently a commissar and an artillery keeper) stood out on the ship, wearing low triangular hats of the old style, sharply contrasting with the dapper high hats of officers. An indirect sign that the hat belongs to the period of the reign of Alexander II is the width and pattern of the braid from which the buttonhole is made. Taking into account the coinage of the button (a double–headed eagle with anchors), it can be confidently stated that this hat belonged to an officer of the Guards crew - for other ranks of the fleet, buttons of such a coinage were introduced only in 1904. Items of uniforms of the Guards sailors have come down to us in single copies and are extremely rare for sale. The item is in good collector's condition, there are fragmentary tears of felt. Guarantee of authenticity.