Produced in conjunction with the Mathers Museum of World Cultures 2018 exhibit "Heads and Tales," our exhibit "Hats of Archaeology" takes a look at the various head fashions used in Indiana archaeology throughout the last century.
From our earliest photographs taken in the 1930s and 1940s to the photographs we take today, fashions have changed but function has remained. Hats are used to protect an archaeologist's head during the humid summers when field schools and other digs take place. The sun beats down... hats are used as protection.
Later in the century archaeologists started using heavy machinery to help excavate. Hard hats became popular safety equipment.
Hats are also used as fashion statements. They may not have been chosen explicitly to make a statement or thought of like the fashions seen on runways, but by viewing these photographs we can get a sense of how people thought about clothing throughout the last century.
Click on "Photographs" to the left to view the exhibit!
Enjoy!
Credits
Many thanks to the staff of the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology, especially Bailey Foust and Kelsey Grimm in the creation of this exhibit!