Historical Hats and More

Grandaddy May's hat from World War I
It's amazing what good shape it's in!

 This picture looks like it might have been taken from a calendar and is an antique in itself.

Helmet
We found this out in the workshop and wonder if it was Daddy's from World War II.

Mother's "Going Away" (leaving after the wedding) hat and purse.  Both the velvet hat and the knit purse are in surprisingly good condition.

 We found other hats but realized we just can't keep everything.  So, we donated some of them and gave some to other family members.

Purse
Maybe this belonged Betty Young Hiter Willis, my great grandmother?

Doesn't it look like the purse above went with the dress below?  This is Bessie Willis Freeman, my grandmother, wearing a dress of Betty Hiter Willis, my great grandmother.  Betty Willis wore this when she gave a musical concert.  (She sang, as did Grandmother Freeman.)  

My crown from when I was the Queen of the Prom

Mayday Dress from 2nd Grade.  I think our class did the minuet.

Grandmother May made this as a long dress for the Mayday program.  Then she cut it off for a Sunday-Go-To-Meetin' dress.

 
The organdy fabric is still crisp.  It has a few stains but I am not going to wash it for fear of messing it up.

Below was yours truly entering the festivities.  I think my escort in the background was Don (Feezer) Carver.

Aunt Mary and Aunt Lib sent us muffs for Christmas and we always thought they were so elegant.  They were more fun to wear than gloves and we did treasure them.  I can see I wrote my name on the box to be sure my sister didn't get mine!   A bit of sibling rivalry, maybe?

I think I found a picture of where they got the idea for the muff!
or
Did they use this skin to make the muff?  Sorry, I'm being morbid here!

I've always thought hats and fashion tell so much about culture and about events in a person's life.  What  a fun trip down the memory lane of the May family via hats!