It seems to be for men only and is not worn, exactly, but "applied to the head." And it is portable, too.
I didn't find Mr. Fürst's patent, but a Mr. Isaac B. Kleinert of New York City patented an Improvement in Head-Muffs in 1875. It is very similar to this one but also protects the mustache.
One obvious problem with the Head Muff is that it is made out of some kind of mesh or cloth, and does not look as if it offered much protection from the cold. But that is so often the way with trendy accessories: you may not be warm, but you'll cut quite the fashionable figure.
From the fabulous NYPL Digital Gallery.
Note: Helmann Fürst thus far is a rather shadowy figure - not in the census, not in Brooklyn directories, and not in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle - as far as I can tell. Furthermore, the NYPL does not indicate the source of this cutting.
Another Note: Many many thanks to my friend Caroline Rance at The Quack Doctor (one of my favorite history blogs!) for finding the Head Muff patent filed by Furst. The link is here.
11 comments:
that looks like a horrible contraption and not something that will keep you warm...lol
It is funny. I have one similar to that for snoring.
I don't think these have ever been considered stylish or trendy! I'd rather wear a scarf or tolerate the cold :-)
PJ - It does not look that great, I agree!
Grampy - But does it also keep you warm?
John - Yes, the scarf is a much better invention. A scarf plus a hat would work very well indeed, I think ;)
That contraption looks like a jock strap. lol I guess it could have been trendy at the time.
He had the right idea to start with, but I'm not sure it turned out the best it could have. Dr Lauren is right about the jock strap look :)
I wonder how many people actually bought one of those? www.satisfiedsole.com
Dr. Lauren - It really does! lol
Amanda - Yes, I'll give him full marks for trying.
Pam - I'm guessing, not many!
It looks like an upside-down hair net!
I'm sure surgeons use something similar to hold broken jaws in place (j/k) lol.
Emm - It does look like a hair net! lol
Jayne - I guess it would also come in handy for that, too!
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