Austrian Sun Helmet?

[GreatWarGreatMilitaria]

Good Day Everyone,

I picked up this interesting helmet a few years back on Regimentals. Im not sure what to make of it fully. It is purported to be a "private purchase" Austrian Sun Helmet. I don't typically trust that description or go for items that aren't textbook in some way, but I thought it was cool and the price was right. Turns out it is truly a pith helm. It is the the only sun helmet I own that is actually made of pith rather than straw or more commonly cork. It is similar in shape to the well known Austrian helmet you can see in Peter's website. It features a silk covered chamber in the top with air holes for ventilation. I have seen similar on british sun helmets of the era. The air vent in the crown is made of Ivory. Would like to hear anyones opinion, more specifically Peter's as I feel like he has seen every variation of sun helmet.

Cheers
Jay

 

[stuka f]

Austria not having any colony's over sea and in particular in tropical area's, I can't imagine they had official colonial uniform's or pith helmets...

 

[2nd.Leibhusar]

German Colonial Uniforms

Tropical Helmet Palestine c1916-18

 

[stuka f]

Oeps!
I have learned something today...
Thanks for the info.
And they are quiet nice helmets.

 

[Peter_Suciu]

Good Day Everyone,

I picked up this interesting helmet a few years back on Regimentals. Im not sure what to make of it fully. It is purported to be a "private purchase" Austrian Sun Helmet. I don't typically trust that description or go for items that aren't textbook in some way, but I thought it was cool and the price was right. Turns out it is truly a pith helm. It is the the only sun helmet I own that is actually made of pith rather than straw or more commonly cork. It is similar in shape to the well known Austrian helmet you can see in Peter's website. It features a silk covered chamber in the top with air holes for ventilation. I have seen similar on british sun helmets of the era. The air vent in the crown is made of Ivory. Would like to hear anyones opinion, more specifically Peter's as I feel like he has seen every variation of sun helmet.

Cheers
Jay

The shape, construction, and other features are consistent with helmets from the era. It does look to be made out of sola pith rather than cork or straw. The use of sola pith rather than cork/straw would lead me to conclude that it was probably not made in Austria.

Chris Mills, who wrote The Jaunty Hat, which chronicled the history of Indian and British helmets, noted that sola pith was relegated mainly to Asia. This is because sola pith is grown in Indian, Southeast Asia, etc. Cork originates from Portugal, with smaller quantities also coming from Spain and Italy. This explains why European helmets were made of cork, felt, and straw, while sola pith helmets were made in India, China, and the Philippines, among other places in the Far East.

There was little reason to ship cork to India or sola pith to Europe, in other words. I'm not sure if Austrian hat makers would even have the skills to work with sola pith. Sure, the process is probably similar to working with cork or felt, but why would they?

I have similar helmets from India and China in my collection that were produced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. So, I would venture to say that is where this helmet originates, if it is made of sola pith.

Now, that said... could an Austrian officer or diplomat have purchased the helmet in Tianjin, where Austria had a Concession? That is absolutely possible. It is a high-quality helmet, and one that would have been marketed to Europeans of means.

 

[GreatWarGreatMilitaria]

Hi Peter,

Wonderful assessment, I knew you would have some insight on the matter. I never figured on the production location of pith helmets or why cork is the primary material in European headwear.

All the best
Jay