While the sun/pith helmet originated in India, as we have noted the British were not alone in considering the importance of such headgear in tropical climates. By the end of the 1870s France had adopted its own version and it does seem that these were influenced, and perhaps even copied, from the British pattern. However, as with the helmets made in London, the French Model 1878 pattern was made of cork, likely supplied by Portugal, and produced in Metropolitan France. Throughout its Africa and Southeast Asia colonies the French military used helmets made of cork, and this remained the case until after the Second World War.
Tag Archives: sola pith
A London Pith Helmet
A pith helmet in the capital of the British Empire might not seem that odd at all. A helmet made of pith with a London maker/retailer stamp does seem a bit more odd – especially when one considers that the majority of helmets produced in Great Britain were in fact made of cork. As we’ve noted cork and pith are two distinct materials, and English hatters opted for cork, which came from nearby Portugal; while we have found that Indian hatters worked with sola pith, which was more common in the subcontinent.
There are no doubt countless exceptions to the rule, and both Roland Gruschka and I have discovered Wolseley helmets that seem to have been made in India. This is interesting as the Wolseley was a helmet largely produced in cork. Shortages of the material in World War I resulted in helmets with straw bodies as noted by two examples in my colleague Stuart Bates’ collection, and during World War II shortages of cork resulted in helmets being produced out of pressed felt. Continue reading
Pith vs. Cork – Not One and the Same
While the term “pith helmet” is commonly used to describe any sun or summer helmet, it isn’t exactly accurate. Pith has entered the lexicon much as “Xerox” means “photocopy” or “Kleenex” means “facial tissue” – at least in English. The difference is that while some corporate brands have become generic terms, pith is not a brand but a material. Continue reading