The bowler hat was originally designed in 1850 by James and George Lock and took its name from the original makers of the hat - the Bowler family.  It was originally designed to be used by game keepers as a sort of hard hat, protecting the head against low hanging branches.

Since its conception the bowler has pushed certain social boundaries. There was a time when the social standing of a person could be easily deduced from the type of hat worn. In contrast, the bowler has been worn by many different people including political leaders, bus drivers and women.

It has been worn in many different contexts and countries, but is widely thought of as an English icon and has been used as a signature style by many of our well known figures such as Winston Churchill, Charlie Chaplin and more recently by the character Cornelius Fudge in the Harry Potter books.

The stamp below is from The Entertainers' Tale issue from June 1999.

Illustration

64p stamp of Charlie Chaplin in a bowler hat from The Entertainers' Tale stamp issue from June 1999