Giant Hat?

[civilwarincolor]

OK, so this one is really large, so may take a little while to open all the way. I was looking through this image from the LOC and found this image. If you zoom in it appears to have a giant hat on a post. I suspect it is a an advertising piece. There is also a large horse head and perhaps a pair of feet coming off the building on the right.

When you look closer at the giant hat there appears to be a post sticking up at an angle to the left. No idea what that is. I looked at the 3D version of it closeup as well and it appears to be part of the hat.

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[Private Watkins]

Ha... perhaps an early & primitive advertisement for Mr. Peanut peanuts...

 

[civilwarincolor]

Ha... perhaps an early & primitive advertisement for Mr. Peanut peanuts...

Good thought, but Mr. Peanut dates to 1916. I suspect it is an ad for a hat maker.

 

[Private Watkins]

Good thought, but Mr. Peanut dates to 1916. I suspect it is an ad for a hat maker.

Fair enough...

 

[civilwarincolor]

Fair enough...

Had to look it up. For a minute I was thinking, wow, Georgia, Peanuts (Carter), it could be...

The internet is so great for answering questions. Reminds me of a story a co-worker told about 18-20 years ago. We had just gotten internet (dial up) in the office and everyone was going crazy trying to figure it out. He and his wife were having dinner with his Father-in-law and the subject of the internet came up and he tried to explain it to him.

Now remember that this was probably 1995-1997, lots of confusion. My friend finally said, let me just pull it up and show it to you. His Father-in-Law was probably in his late 60's or early 70's at the time and all of this was foreign to him. Once he logged on the told his father in law to think of any question that he really wanted to know and that he could use the internet to answer it for him.

His Father-in-law thought for a little bit and then said "Remember (to my friends wife) when your Aunt Clara passed away? In her will she left us a diamond necklace, but we could never find it. I would really like to ask the internet what happened to that necklace?"

 

[mikekj]

And a giant boot across the street.

 

[Private Watkins]

Had to look it up. For a minute I was thinking, wow, Georgia, Peanuts (Carter), it could be...

The internet is so great for answering questions. Reminds me of a story a co-worker told about 18-20 years ago. We had just gotten internet (dial up) in the office and everyone was going crazy trying to figure it out. He and his wife were having dinner with his Father-in-law and the subject of the internet came up and he tried to explain it to him.

Now remember that this was probably 1995-1997, lots of confusion. My friend finally said, let me just pull it up and show it to you. His Father-in-Law was probably in his late 60's or early 70's at the time and all of this was foreign to him. Once he logged on the told his father in law to think of any question that he really wanted to know and that he could use the internet to answer it for him.

His Father-in-law thought for a little bit and then said "Remember (to my friends wife) when your Aunt Clara passed away? In her will she left us a diamond necklace, but we could never find it. I would really like to ask the internet what happened to that necklace?"

Great story... funny how we all think we're so smart these days because we can google something before someone else does...

 

[Patrick H]

Top hat and cane (fancy walking stick).

 

[civilwarincolor]

Top hat and cane (fancy walking stick).

I thought of that, but why is it on top of the hat?

 

[Mike Serpa]

I don't know whose foot could fill the giant boot but Custer's head was big enough to fill the hat!

 

[civilwarincolor]

And a giant boot across the street.

I don't know whose foot could fill the giant boot but Custer's head was big enough to fill the hat!

Thanks for pointing that out. I completely missed the boot! Must have been a fun street to shop on!

A hat, a horse head a boot... sounds like pieces of a giant Monopoly game!

 

[Patrick H]

I thought of that, but why is it on top of the hat?

The walking stick might be behind the hat from our point of view. ...or, it might be something else entirely.

 

[civilwarincolor]

The walking stick might be behind the hat from our point of view. ...or, it might be something else entirely.

As I mentioned in my original post I had a look at this in 3D. That will let you know if the object is part of something or just behind it. In this case when you look at it in 3D it appears to be coming out of the hat.

So funny, surprising that I have not seen people commenting on this image before!

 

[PeterT]

Is that cow with a saddle tied up below the top hat? Looks like a cow. Even its rear end looks like a cow.

Or has a horse moved his head at the wrong time?

 

[ole]

Goober peas.

 

[PeterT]

I'm sorry. This Aussie does not understand "goober peas"?

 

[FarawayFriend]

At least we know now : it is indeed a hat on a pole!

I found the picture again and there it is said (highlighting by me):
"From Alabama Street looking southwest. Shoe Factory in center "way down the street". The "hat on the pole" marks J. M. Holbrook hats, caps, straw goods and trunks business."

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wb4kdi/Military Service/Confederates/Atlanta/

An then:
From original stereo negative
This view is taken looking south on Whitehall Street in Atlanta's central business district. A lamppost at the corner of Alabama Street signifies the city's progress; Atlanta obtained gas lighting in 1856 with the incorporation of the Atlanta Gas Light Company. The large top hat on the right side of the street advertises J.M. Holbrook's store. Holbrook offered men's hats, caps, straw goods, and trunks, as well as canes and umbrellas. From early Atlanta to the mid-twentieth century, Whitehall Street served as the city's central business district. As a result of this commercial importance, everything in this photograph was destroyed prior to the Union army's departure from Atlanta. The explosion from the city's gas works helped spread the fire that devastated much of this part of the city.
http://www.atlantapreservationcenter.com/Preserved_on_Glass

 

[donna]

FarawayFriend great find. Now we know the answers.

 

[Chattahooch33]

Awwwww Farawayfriend beat me to it. Since she gave the info I will give a "present day" view:

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[Mild53]

Mud, horsesh** and trash in the street.

And there is a horse head above a store further down the street.

As Yogi might say, you never know what you will see when you look.