The Jockey Hat and Feather

From the very first time I watched Gone with the Wind, I've been fascinated by the dramatic, daring hat Scarlett wears in the jail scene. And I've never seen anything like it, what with its rich plumes of green feathers and cascading gold fringe. But it pays to never say never, I suppose. Because when I was exploring the ever-handy Historic Dress in America: 1800-1870, I stumbled across a 1860s hat that, if not an exact replica (what really could be?) still seems to recall the style of Scarlett's very own "get-the-tax-money" headgear. 

So without further ado, I'm pleased to present to you the jockey hat, which came into prominence in 1865, one year before Scarlett's desperate foray to the jail to visit Rhett.

Image scanned from Historic Dress in America: 1800-1870

Of course, the jockey hat lacks a flowing trail of velvet and fringe, but its mass of feathers and general shape bear resemblance to our very own Scarlett's hat. 

Although it wasn't just the hat's design that made me think of it in relation to GWTW.  For you see, in its day the jockey hat was popular enough to be immortalized in a song, The Jockey Hat and Feather. The song's lyrics, presented below, reminded me of Scarlett setting out, as Margaret Mitchell says, "to conquer the world in her mother's velvet curtains and the tail feathers of a rooster."  They made me smile and I hope they do the same for you:   

The Jockey Hat and Feather

"As I was walking out, one day,
Thinking of the weather,
I saw a pair of roguish eyes
'Neath a hat and feather ;
She looked at me, I looked at her,
It made my heart pit-pat,
Then, turning round, she said to me,
How do you like my hat ?

"CHORUS—Oh! I said ; it's gay and pretty too;
They look well together,
Those glossy curls and Jockey hat,
With a rooster feather.

"She wore a handsome broadcloth basque,
Cut in the latest fashion,
And flounces all around her dress
Made her look quite dashing;
Her high-heeled boots, as she walk'd on,
The pavement went pit-pat,
I will ne'er forget the smile I saw,
Beneath the Jockey hat. 

"CHORUS—Oh! I said ; it's gay and pretty too;
They look well together,
Those glossy curls and Jockey hat,
With a rooster feather."