Celebration Days in January

January 30, 2025

The start of the year tends to be quite chilly, thus it should come as no surprise that January celebrates national hat day. To me, January 15th calls to mind images of warm hats donned on a snowy day. But aside from serving to keep its wearers warm and comfortable, hats for many years were indicators of fashionable tastes and social standing.

In these regards, Indiana has been no different. Evidenced in pictures from the IHS digital collection, people wore a variety of hats for an even greater variety of occasions. In the above picture Jeanetta P. Greene, Elenor Harris, and Dorothy Whiteside, are shown in attendance of a fashion show. Below, are two women who modeled for photographer Mary Lyon Taylor.

Woman with a hat, ca. 1900; Woman with hat and gloves, ca. 1900. P0178, IHS (cropped); P0178, IHS (cropped).

In addition, hats have been used in both business and celebration. In the photograph on the left, children attending Billy Martin Webster’s birthday party wore hats to celebrate the occasion. Quite appropriately, these hats are shown with images of clowns on the front of them. The top right image shows some fabulous hats created for the Mad Hatters Breakfast and Fashion Show, an event sponsored by the Alpha Delta Chapter of Pi Omicron Rho Omega Sorority.

A Hoosier hat business of note was the Harry Levinson Hattery, shown on the bottom right. The hattery originally opened in Indianapolis in 1905, and it successfully grew to become a men’s clothing store. Eventually, a total of 14 of its locations opened within Indiana and Kentucky.

Billy Martin Webster Birthday Party, 1930; Mad Hatters Breakfast and Fashion Show, 1973; Illinois Street at Market Street, 1952. Martin Collection, IHS (cropped); Indianapolis Recorder Collection, IHS (cropped); P0560, IHS (cropped)

The store’s legacy is particularly notable for its straw-hat event that began in 1934. To advertise the spring straw hat season, 50 hats were dropped once a year in downtown Indianapolis’ Monument Circle. Any lucky man who caught one of these hats would then be allowed to exchange their hats with one fitted to their size. Eventually, the event was deemed a safety hazard by the Indianapolis Police Department. Aside from its advertising gimmicks, the Harry Levinson stores were described as having been successful by Levinson’s son, Frank, because they “served a purpose,” and “made it easy for the many to buy stylish hats of the best material and workmanship…” (The Indianapolis Star, November 2, 1930; page 4).

Harry Levinson Hat Shop and Loew’s Theatre, 37 N. Pennsylvania St, 1949; H.P. Wasson and Company Hat Model, 1946; Mallory Hat Display, 1943. P0569,IHS (cropped); P0569, IHS (cropped); P0569, IHS (cropped).

Another national day of note for January is national houseplant day. National Houseplant Appreciation Day takes place on January 10th, and it celebrates all things plant life. Not only are they beautiful, but some common houseplants have been observed to improve the air quality of your home. According to NASA’s Clean Air Study snake plants, peace lilies, bamboo palms, Chinese evergreens, and spider plants are among the most effective plant air cleaners. In observance of this day, I would recommend spending some extra TLC on any plants you already own, and if you don’t already have any, get one!

Two young girls with flowers, ca. 1900; Anna Lou Talley, ca. 1975; Arranging Dahlia Display for Competition in the Flower Show for the 1941 Indiana State Fair; Flowering Potted Plant, ca. 1900. P0178, IHS (cropped); M1086, IHS (cropped); P0490, IHS (cropped). P0159, IHS (cropped).

Rachel Lewchanin is a January intern at IHS. She enjoys keeping houseplants and discussing world history with others.

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