COLLECTION 045 · SGC-CT045-045
Fairfield County · Industrial sites
Factory postcards and preservation research connect finished hats to the businesses that supplied their materials.
Historical factory collection; later uses differ by property
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1912
National Hat Factory, Danbury; photographic postcard mailed in 1912.
1911
Danbury hat factory; photographic postcard postmarked 1911.
Published 1910–1911; copyright 1911. Individual camera date not stated.
Long rows of blowing machinery prepared and mixed fur before it was formed into hat bodies.
Photographer not identified; David C. Mills, author; Lee-McLachlan Company, publisher / Library of Congress copy digitized by Internet Archive; Wikimedia Commons PDF mirror
Original source · Reuse termsPublished 1910–1911; copyright 1911. Individual camera date not stated.
Workers stand beside forming machinery, where prepared fur began to take the conical shape of a hat body.
Photographer not identified; David C. Mills, author; Lee-McLachlan Company, publisher / Library of Congress copy digitized by Internet Archive; Wikimedia Commons PDF mirror
Original source · Reuse termsPublished 1910–1911; copyright 1911. Individual camera date not stated.
Workers and equipment fill the department devoted to shrinking and felting stiff-hat bodies.
Photographer not identified; David C. Mills, author; Lee-McLachlan Company, publisher / Library of Congress copy digitized by Internet Archive; Wikimedia Commons PDF mirror
Original source · Reuse termsPublished 1910–1911; copyright 1911. Individual camera date not stated.
A separate sizing room handled soft hats; the photograph shows workers close to the wet processing equipment.
Photographer not identified; David C. Mills, author; Lee-McLachlan Company, publisher / Library of Congress copy digitized by Internet Archive; Wikimedia Commons PDF mirror
Original source · Reuse termsPublished 1910–1911; copyright 1911. Individual camera date not stated.
Rows of hat racks and workstations show the scale of finishing operations at the Lee-McLachlan factory.
Photographer not identified; David C. Mills, author; Lee-McLachlan Company, publisher / Library of Congress copy digitized by Internet Archive; Wikimedia Commons PDF mirror
Original source · Reuse termsPublished 1910–1911; copyright 1911. Individual camera date not stated.
Workers sit and stand along benches in the trimming room, where finishing components were added to hats.
Photographer not identified; David C. Mills, author; Lee-McLachlan Company, publisher / Library of Congress copy digitized by Internet Archive; Wikimedia Commons PDF mirror
Original source · Reuse termsCOLLECTION HISTORY
Danbury’s hat industry depended on suppliers as well as hat makers. The White family’s Beaver Street operation processed fur for local manufacturers. After a fire in 1872, the plant was rebuilt; American Hatters & Furriers acquired and reactivated it in 1901. [CT045-S01]
The Beaver Street enterprise also supported glue manufacture using a byproduct of fur processing. This link helps explain how one industry could generate related businesses. The collection includes views of more than one Danbury factory, and each company name must be read from its own source. [CT045-S01]
The Beaver Street story begins before a finished hat reached a shop. Fur processors supplied material to hat makers, linking specialized businesses rather than placing every operation under one roof. The White family's plant, its rebuilding after the 1872 fire, and its 1901 acquisition by American Hatters & Furriers trace one thread within that wider network. Other Danbury factory photographs belong to other companies and remain separately identified. [CT045-S01]
Glue manufacture made use of a byproduct of fur processing. Photographs and promotional publications show the buildings and the claims their owners wished to present. They need to be paired with labor and environmental records for a fuller account of the industry. The absence of workers' names in a factory caption is a gap to investigate, not a reason to make the building the only historical actor. [CT045-S01]
Fairfield County · 8 included photographs
Research edition: September 12, 2026
THE SEARCHABLE CATALOG
Search includes catalog notes and the OCR text included with this edition. OCR may misread names or dates; use the original scan to verify a match.
CT045-S01 · Sources & research leads · Source reviewed September 2026
Danbury’s Hat & Fur Industry
Supporting source for the collection’s history, chronology and research notes. Factory postcards and preservation research connect finished hats to the businesses that supplied their materials.
Read item & source notesCT045-P01 · Photographs · 1912
Danbury’s Hat & Fur Industry
National Hat Factory, Danbury; photographic postcard mailed in 1912.
Read item & source notes
CT045-P02 · Photographs · 1911
Danbury’s Hat & Fur Industry
Danbury hat factory; photographic postcard postmarked 1911.
Read item & source notesED-IG-DAN-01 · Photographs · undated historic photograph; reproduced 2011-01-26
Danbury’s Hat & Fur Industry
Workers press straw hat bodies in a Danbury factory, showing a branch of production different from fur-felt hatmaking.
Read item & source notesED-IG-DAN-02 · Photographs · circa 1940
Danbury’s Hat & Fur Industry
An aerial view places the Mallory Hat Factory among Danbury's closely spaced industrial buildings.
Read item & source notes
ED-IG-DAN-03 · Photographs · Published 1910–1911; copyright 1911. Individual camera date not stated.
Danbury’s Hat & Fur Industry
Long rows of blowing machinery prepared and mixed fur before it was formed into hat bodies.
Read item & source notes
ED-IG-DAN-04 · Photographs · Published 1910–1911; copyright 1911. Individual camera date not stated.
Danbury’s Hat & Fur Industry
Workers stand beside forming machinery, where prepared fur began to take the conical shape of a hat body.
Read item & source notes
ED-IG-DAN-05 · Photographs · Published 1910–1911; copyright 1911. Individual camera date not stated.
Danbury’s Hat & Fur Industry
Workers and equipment fill the department devoted to shrinking and felting stiff-hat bodies.
Read item & source notes
ED-IG-DAN-06 · Photographs · Published 1910–1911; copyright 1911. Individual camera date not stated.
Danbury’s Hat & Fur Industry
A separate sizing room handled soft hats; the photograph shows workers close to the wet processing equipment.
Read item & source notes
ED-IG-DAN-07 · Photographs · Published 1910–1911; copyright 1911. Individual camera date not stated.
Danbury’s Hat & Fur Industry
Rows of hat racks and workstations show the scale of finishing operations at the Lee-McLachlan factory.
Read item & source notes
ED-IG-DAN-08 · Photographs · Published 1910–1911; copyright 1911. Individual camera date not stated.
Danbury’s Hat & Fur Industry
Workers sit and stand along benches in the trimming room, where finishing components were added to hats.
Read item & source notesExtract the ZIP and open START_HERE.html. It includes the catalog, selected images, acquired source text, credits and a searchable SQLite database. New photo additions are hosted in the SGC media library and require an internet connection; original bundled images remain available offline.
