When the hat supported the economy

Nationalmuseum.ch, Katrin Brunner, October 2020

In the 18th century, esparto and millinery did not have a good reputation in Switzerland. Their workers were said to be lazy. A century later, hat making became a flourishing business.

Straw weaving began to develop in Switzerland from the 16th century. In Ticino, Aargau, Obwalden and Zurich’s Rafzerfeld, to name but a few regions, there are many families, but also Tauner, these day laborers with little and living off the Tagwan (daily wage), make edges of clothing, jewelery or straw hats. This allows them to supplement their meager income from farming. One can only speculate on how these sometimes delicate trades arrived in Switzerland. It is believed that Swiss mercenaries who did their military service in northern Italy in the 16th century brought the art of straw weaving back to their homeland.

Full article:

https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/fr/2020/10/chapeau-de-paille/