Exploring plumed hats at a Mass. museum

THIS GLOBALLY RECOGNIZED BRAND HATS SURPRISINGLY PLAYED A ROLE IN THE FOUNDING OF ANOTHER MASSACHUSETTS ORGANIZATION, MASS AUDUBON. AT THE TURN OF THE 20TH CENTURY, FEATHERED HATS AND HEADPIECES WERE ALL THE RAGE, BUT THOSE FLASHY, TRENDY ACCESSORIES CAME AT A DEADLY PRICE. IT WAS SAID THAT BETWEEN 1900 AND 1910, THERE WERE AT LEAST 37 MILLION BIRDS KILLED FOR THE PLUMED HAT INDUSTRY, EQUAL TO ABOUT $2.2 BILLION. THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF ONE OF THESE PLUMED HATS THAT WAS SO FASHIONABLE AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY, JENNIFER TAAFFE IS DIRECTOR OF THE MUSEUM OF AMERICAN BIRD ART AT MASS AUDUBON, THE MUSEUM’S COLLECTION INCLUDES FEATHERED HATS FROM A RANGE OF ERAS. IT’S FULLY COVERED WITH WHAT WE THINK ARE GAME BIRD FEATHERS AND THEN THERE’S THIS LITTLE NETTING THAT’S BEEN ADDED TO IT AS WELL. SOMETIMES BIRDS WOULD BE SHOT AND KILLED AND ACTUALLY USED IN THEIR ENTIRETY AS A HAIRPIECE. MAY SEE IN PHOTOGRAPHS. SOMETIMES WOMEN WEARING ACTUAL BIRDS ON THEIR HEADS, HATS LIKE THESE INSPIRED THE FOUNDERS OF MASS AUDUBON TO TAKE ACTION. OUR TWO FOUNDING MOTHERS, HARRIET HEMENWAY AND MINNA BE HALL, ESSENTIALLY LAUNCHED A CAMPAIGN ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH TO CONVINCE OTHER WOMEN TO STOP WEARING FEATHERED HATS. THEIR MISSION BEGAN IN 1896. BY 1900, MASS AUDUBON’S ADVOCACY HELPED PASS THE LACEY ACT, WHICH BANNED KILLING BIRDS ILLEGALLY IN ONE STATE AND THEN SELLING THEM IN ANOTHER. THE HATS REALLY STAND AS A TESTAMENT TO THE PIONEERING EFFORTS OF OUR TWO FOUNDING MOTHERS, WHO REALLY FOUGHT TO END THIS CRUEL AND CALLOUS FEATHER TRADE, AND SO, THANKS TO THEM, MASS AUDUBON IS STILL PROTECTING THE NATURE OF MASSACHUSETTS TODAY. AND JENNIFER SAYS THAT A FEW SPECIES OF BIRDS WERE MAJORLY AFFECTED BY THE FEATHERE