Homburg

Traditional felt hat originally from Germany

A Homburg is a felt hat characterised by a single dent running down the centre of the crown and a brim fixed in a tight, upwards curl. It is superficially similar to the Trilby and Fedora; however, those types of hat have soft, snappable brims and can have various designs pinched into the crown, whereas the shape of a Homburg is fixed.

The Homburg is typically made from wool or fur felt with a grosgrain hatband and brim treatment with an optional feather. A variant form is the “Lord’s Hat”, which lacks the edge ribbon, and may, optionally, be pinched. The Homburg available in almost any colour, but the most common colours are black, grey, and brown.

It was popularised by Edward VII in the late 1890s after he visited the internationally famous spa town of Bad Homburg in Hesse, Germany, and brought back a hat of this style.

In Britain a black Homburg became widely known in the 1930s as an ‘Anthony Eden’ after the Government Minister who wore one.

Other names for a Homburg

• Anthony Eden

Famous Homburg wearers

• Winston Churchill
• Edward VII
• Anthony Eden
• Tony Hancock
• Hercule Poirot
• John Lee Hooker
• Duke Ellington