The Mexican Haubes

I think the academy association may be correct! Also note that both the helmet with plume and the Arizona museum helmet are NCO in configuration, rather than the officer grade helmets we see with the standard Mexican plate. This would make sense for aspirants at the academy, IMO. Here is a helmet sold recently, about which I have my doubts...

29p21s6.jpg
 
I agree. It has an assembled vibe to it. The eagle is mounted very low on the helmet for example. I am very interested to see that possible academy helmet. I find myself up and around the Chapultepec castle in the summers and see the students exercising, parading and so forth and try to imagine all the drills up there in those pickelhaubes back in 1910.
 
The chin scales in the picture above do not fasten in the German way. The metal helme chin scales do. Consequently, this would suggest the scales shown are not original. My guess would be Indian manufacture.
 
Kk, I think your box is full and I could not respond. You are lucky to have that. There was just one plate used-- the spread wing eagle and they were all the same size. The other eagle discussed here seems to have had other purposes such as use by the military academy.
 
Here are some Post-Revolution Cadets. They are wearing the spread-wing eagle. I think the helmet Arran posted is the very early modelof 1905. I'm not sure that I have ever even seen a photo of this helmet before.

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=30k9grn&s=9#.WmI6_B1G0u8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
I found this at the Military Museum in Vienna, Austria. The helmets of Garde du Korps of Maximilian I, Emperor of Mexico.

2pq3k9e.jpg


2dvtph0.jpg


John
 
I am delighted to see these excellent photos. I knew the helmets were there but I wonder why? I suspect they were never shipped to Mexico. One of these sold at Hermann Historica about a decade ago for over $100,000. When Mexican friends go to Austria, Austrian customs officials love to point out that they killed their prince. They have a very different sense of history over there.

Probably the most famous photo associated with Maximilian's palace guard is that of its commander, Count Karl of Bombelles. Karl was a childhood friend of Maximilian. I have always wondered why personal bodyguard Karl wasn't with the emperor when he was captured and shot by Juarez's Republican troops. Later on Emperor Franz Joseph put Karl in charge of his only son Crown Prince Rudolf who committed suicide with his 17 year old mistress. Karl is described by one recent author as a "roué" of the first order.

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2gwbzmp&s=9#.WmTMrh1G0qw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
Thanks again for posting. Its an impressive uniform, closer to a German "reiter" of this period than anything Austrian or French.
 
This week Hermann Historica Auction sold one of the Maximilian bodyguard helmets for $154,000.00!
 
Here's the URL for the helmet. Nice photography and details.

https://www.hermann-historica.de/en/l/175698/mexico/a_helmet_for_the_palace_guard_under_emperor_maximilian_i_of_mexico_1864-67?accid=1799&aid=177&Lstatus=0&currentpos=1
 
While we await Arran to reveal more of his fantastic acquisition, I wonder if anybody has any remarks about this piece from an auction last November. It sold for $1800.00. It looks to me like a refitted Prussian kurassier helmet. The eagle is unique with its down turned wings as are other details such as the black painted very worn interior visors, the bare metal skull interior and the affixing of a "2" to the left side of the helmet, these numbers sometimes appearing on Mexican leather pickelhaubes. The kokarde also looks original. There's just something about it that suggests an original but who would wear this then?

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/77648499_mexican-life-guard-regiment-cuirassier-s-helmet#&gid=1&pid=3
 
I think its likely a cobbled together piece. The plate has at one time been a standard Mexican plate that has had the wings cut and re-attached, possibly because it was already damaged, or perhaps to cover holes in the helmet body. Are there any period photos of the Mounted Escort helmet in wear?
 
Ok... it looks like a refitted Swedish Lievgarde helmet. You are right the eagle wings were separated and re-attached lower down.

https://www.bukowskis.com/en/lots/931877-a-swedish-royal-cavalry-helmet-m-1879-1900-1928-early-20th-century
 
Nacuaa said:
I should introduce myself. I'm John and I have never participated in an on-line project like this before. I have been following the site closely this past year as I am slowly working on a Mexican pickelhaube restoration project and found the discussions of how to reshape the leather korpus fascinating and have been experimenting with the different techniques on an old fire helmet korpus. I am a university professor in Mexican archaeology and history but had a passion for collecting pickelhaubes as a youth. So the idea of studying a combination of Aztec and Prussian sensibilities in military heraldry has become obsessive.
Click to expand...
Hi, I’ve been reading your posts and would love to
Nacuaa said:
I should introduce myself. I'm John and I have never participated in an on-line project like this before. I have been following the site closely this past year as I am slowly working on a Mexican pickelhaube restoration project and found the discussions of how to reshape the leather korpus fascinating and have been experimenting with the different techniques on an old fire helmet korpus. I am a university professor in Mexican archaeology and history but had a passion for collecting pickelhaubes as a youth. So the idea of studying a combination of Aztec and Prussian sensibilities in military heraldry has become obsessive.
Click to expand...
Hi John, I am a collector from Mexico, mostly focused on the World Wars, but also big fan of Mexican Militaria. I would love to pick your brain since it appears your are very knowledgeable on the subject. I have been looking for a Mexican Haube for a while and could finally get my hands on one example last year, but unfortunately don’t have much information on this specific piece and was hoping you could share some insight. I am attaching a few picks, thanks!!
FernandoIMG_0480.jpegIMG_0482.jpegIMG_1664.jpeg
 
Hello Fernando, Yes I keep up on Mexican helmets. This one is for a general officer of the Porfiriato period circa 1905. The collectors here would want to see the interior as well. Your helmet and associated photo not to mention the Order of Guadalupe medal appear to be in untouched condition as if they had been put away and kept safely for over a century. The fact that you can identify the officer who wore the helmet is amazing. Having the box and the Paris manufacturer's stamp for the medal is just great. This is museum quality material. These officers lived in turbulent times from the Yaqui and Apache Wars on the northern frontier to the 1910 Revolution. Thank you for letting me see them. Porfirio Diaz (in the original postcard) invested in an entire industry of postcard production in an effort to create a national Mexican identity through distribution with the postal system. He got the idea from the success of the German empire in forging a new national identity by using the medium of paper and cardboard products - ephemera - to distribute and broadcast images of national monuments, art work, statuary, leading politicians, artists, authors, poets, allegorical images of culture heroes, muses waving flags etc. through its postal system. Its amazing how effective it really was. I have a collection of Porfiriato ephermera as well. I love the art work.
 
Nacuaa said:
Hello Fernando, Yes I keep up on Mexican helmets. This one is for a general officer of the Porfiriato period circa 1905. The collectors here would want to see the interior as well. Your helmet and associated photo not to mention the Order of Guadalupe medal appear to be in untouched condition as if they had been put away and kept safely for over a century. The fact that you can identify the officer who wore the helmet is amazing. Having the box and the Paris manufacturer's stamp for the medal is just great. This is museum quality material. These officers lived in turbulent times from the Yaqui and Apache Wars on the northern frontier to the 1910 Revolution. Thank you for letting me see them. Porfirio Diaz (in the original postcard) invested in an entire industry of postcard production in an effort to create a national Mexican identity through distribution with the postal system. He got the idea from the success of the German empire in forging a new national identity by using the medium of paper and cardboard products - ephemera - to distribute and broadcast images of national monuments, art work, statuary, leading politicians, artists, authors, poets, allegorical images of culture heroes, muses waving flags etc. through its postal system. Its amazing how effective it really was. I have a collection of Porfiriato ephermera as well. I love the art work.
Click to expand...
Thank you very much for the insight and quick reply John! Really appreciate it, I have a few more interesting items in my collection which I will share later on. In the meantime I will take some more detailed pics of my Haube to share with the group.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top