This hat block is part of a collection of hat blocks and millinery equipment owned and used by Sydney milliners, McDougall Bros. The McDougall Bros, twin brothers Matt and Jim McDougall, had a millinery studio in Sydney making hats for Sydney 'high society', including Winifred Hurt. Betty Viazim , a specialist milliner who began her apprenticeship to Mark Foys department store in 1922, recalls the McDougall Bros as having : 'a very nice little boutique in about Rowe Street, I think. I didn't know them but I have met up with quite a few friends of theirs since then. They tell me they were wonderful company. As soon as you speak of them, they sat they were marvellous. Very good looking young men; lots of fun; dressed in kilts; and they were wonderful Scottish dancers. They evidently had a very good little business there and they did very nice handmade hats. Evidently Matt was the designer and the artistic one of the boys, both they evidently worked very well together'.
These blocks were acquired in consultation with Viazim, who has knowledge of millinery history, materials and techniques from a period spanning 70 years. In 1995 Viazim assisted the Museum in making a documentary relating to the evolution of millinery technology in Australia, using the McDougall Bros hat blocks as props to demonstrate millinery processes. This video is a significant addition to the Museum's research material, providing insight and personal stories relating to millinery culture in Australia throughout the 20th Century. In addition it enhances the value and knowledge of the McDougall millinery objects by demonstrating their function.
The McDougall Bros blocks complement the Museum's holdings of McDougall hats, millinery trims and millinery equipment, and in particular the 'William Hurt' collection of hats. Through the McDougall Bros collection we are able to document and demonstrate the processes involved in making a wide range of hat styles, whilst exploring the stylistic changes in millinery from 1920 to 1960.
REF:
Powerhouse Museum, Betty Viazim (specialist milliner), Lindie Ward, 'Betty Viazim explains millinery techniques (videorecording)', Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, 1996
Hat blocks were introduced in the late 1920s. Blocks were used interchangeably, and could be assembled in a variety of ways to create different shapes and styles. The shape of blocks varied and developed throughout the years to reflect fashion and styles of the day, along with changes in technology. Hat blocks would first be covered with tissue paper to prevent dye from transferring onto the blocks and potentially staining future materials. Later, plastic bags or washable fabric 'hat socks' were used. Fabric, straw or felt would then be shaped onto the block, pushing along the grain of the material, and secured using string which was tied into a 'blocker's knot'. The material would then be steamed, and shaped into the desired style. In the 1940s aluminium blocks, or 'hot blocks' were introduced. These blocks were placed over an electric cone and heated in order to shape the hat.
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