HOW TO MAKE A TRICORN HAT WITH COCKADE

Tricorn hats with cockades (rosette-like attachments to hat) were popular fashion for civilians and military personnel during the Revolutionary War. Most tricorn hats were black, but cockades could be made from many different colors. Cockade colors were sometimes used to denote political affiliations, and during the Revolutionary War, George Washington used them to first show different ranks in the army, and then to symbolize United State’s newly formed alliance with the French.

Below are the steps and templates you need to make your own tricorn hat and cockade. For more information and a tutorial, click here!

Templates below in order: tricorn hat, large cockade, small cockade, and feather. Templates as close to scale as possible, so all you have you 

Supplies

• 3 pieces of construction paper to make the hat (black or any color that you like)
• 2 pieces of construction paper to make the cockade (any 2 colors that you like)
• 1 piece of construction paper to make a feather (any color that you like)
• Templates for hat, cockade (2 sizes), and feather
• Thin cardboard
• Glue
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Stapler
• Hole punch
• Round head fasteners

Instructions

1.       Print out templates for hat, large cockade, small cockade, and feather.
2.        Glue them onto thin cardboard.
3.        Cut out the templates.
4.        Trace around the templates on construction paper. You will need 3 of the pieces for the tricorn   hat, 1 piece for each of the other templates.
5.        Cut out the pieces of construction paper.
6.        If you want, make cuts on each side of the feather to give it texture.
7.        MAKING THE TRICORN HAT - Take 2 pieces of the hat template, and line them up. Staple the pieces together at one end. (Position the staples closer to the center for a smaller fit, or closer to the end for a larger fit.)
8.        Open the unstapled end and insert the 3^rd hat piece, lining it up with one of the unstapled ends, and staple those pieces together. Line up the remaining unstapled ends, and staple those together to complete your hat. Set hat aside, or on your head, while making the cockade.
9.        MAKING THE COCKADE - Start with the small cockade piece, punch one hole at the very end of each arm and make a hole at the center. (If the hole punch doesn’t reach, just poke a hole with scissors or the fastener.) One at a time, fold in each arm, lining up the hole at the end with the center hole. When all arms are folded down, insert the fastener, with the round head in front, through all the holes and through the center then fold out the 2 metal tabs at the back of the paper to keep it together.
10.    For the large cockade piece, punch one hole at the very end of each arm and make a hole at the center. Repeat the process of folding in each arm and lining it up with the center hole, just like you did for the small cockade. When all arms are folded down, hold onto it, keeping it lined up, (or use an extra fastener temporarily to hold it together,) while you open the fastener of the small cockade, but don’t take it out of the small cockade.
11.    PLACE THE COCKADE ON THE HAT - Push the fastener through the large cockade, and then push the fastener through the feather, and then push the fastener through the hat, placing the cockade where you like. Fold down the metal prongs of the fastener on the inside of the hat. Place hat on your head and call yourself a Yankee Doodle Dandy!

The Legacy of Louisa Lee and Georgina Schuyler

By Jessie Serfilippi

In two of our previous blog posts (one and two), we’ve discussed the advocacy work of Louisa and Georgina, great-granddaughters of Catharine and Philip Schuyler and Elizabeth and Alexander Hamilton. When Schuyler Mansion opened to the public in 1917, Louisa and Georgina had donated a number of items they inherited from their parents: Eliza Hamilton and George Lee Schuyler. Below are a few of those pieces and some information on them.

Corner Chair

This corner chair is made in the Chippendale style with a bit of the Queen Anne style influence. It was likely made in Massachusetts or New York between 1765-1775. This type of chair was meant to be more comfortable than a standard chair because the user could relax into the curved portion of the chair. They were mostly used by men because the construction of the chair made it challenging for a woman to sit in it while maintaining proper posture.

Writing Table

This table was also a gift from Louisa and Georgina. While it could be used for writing and similar work, it was commonly used for breakfast, for card and board games, reading, and tea. This table was likely made between 1795-1805 in the United States. It’s made in the Hepplewhite Pembroke style.

Cordial Glass

Made between 1760 and 1790, this glass was free blown and probably imported from England. The Schuylers owned multiple glasses in this style, likely for entertaining guests.

Secretary

Made in the Chippendale style, this desk was likely made in New England around 1770. It is comprised of a desk and bookcase. It has many storage spaces, one of which could be locked, and candle holders. As it was a gift of Louisa and Georgina, it’s possible that it belonged to their great-grandfather, Philip Schuyler, who would have done a lot of his military and political work from this desk.