JF Ptak Science Books Post 2308
Here’s another classic of ingenuity mixed with out-of-context accidental absurdist visualisations: the classic (I think) “hat conformator” from the Scientific American in 1878.
Which is a detail from:
[Source: Scientific American, March 9, 1878.]
The $100 instrument (a wide sum in 1878, equal today in buy power to several thousand dollars) was an instrument of use not only to hat makers but to the anthropological and medical professions as well–head shape and its influence on behavior still being a concern to some, the conformator found some occasional use in relating meaning to shape. That sort of effort would continue for some decades to come.
As a classic illustration the fron page showing the conformator is generally shown when shared online or written about in paper, but I don’t think I’ve ever noticed the posting of the head shapes themselves coming a few pages later. The short chart features the axial view of some famous 1870’s heads–I would say more about this if there was anything useful to say, but really I think there isn’t so I won’t.
The 1878 conformator is not unique in the history of head measurement for hats, evidently: “My invention relates to a device to be placed about the head and adjustable to conform to the anatomy thereof”, so states the very wordy originator of another patent device for a “hat-conformator” in 1921–no doubt there are a number of different ways of taking head measurements for a custom-made hat, but I think none are prettier than the 1878 version.
And another–no doubt from a field of conformator richness:
