Home / Collections / Artifacts / Pith Helmet

Error message

  • Deprecated function: Array and string offset access syntax with curly braces is deprecated in require_once() (line 341 of /home3/dylanma6/public_html/internationaloildrillers/includes/module.inc).
  • Deprecated function: Array and string offset access syntax with curly braces is deprecated in require_once() (line 341 of /home3/dylanma6/public_html/internationaloildrillers/includes/module.inc).
  • Deprecated function: Array and string offset access syntax with curly braces is deprecated in require_once() (line 341 of /home3/dylanma6/public_html/internationaloildrillers/includes/module.inc).
  • Deprecated function: Array and string offset access syntax with curly braces is deprecated in require_once() (line 341 of /home3/dylanma6/public_html/internationaloildrillers/includes/module.inc).
  • Deprecated function: Array and string offset access syntax with curly braces is deprecated in require_once() (line 341 of /home3/dylanma6/public_html/internationaloildrillers/includes/module.inc).
  • Deprecated function: Array and string offset access syntax with curly braces is deprecated in require_once() (line 341 of /home3/dylanma6/public_html/internationaloildrillers/includes/module.inc).
  • Deprecated function: Array and string offset access syntax with curly braces is deprecated in require_once() (line 341 of /home3/dylanma6/public_html/internationaloildrillers/includes/module.inc).
  • Deprecated function: Array and string offset access syntax with curly braces is deprecated in require_once() (line 341 of /home3/dylanma6/public_html/internationaloildrillers/includes/module.inc).
  • Deprecated function: Array and string offset access syntax with curly braces is deprecated in require_once() (line 341 of /home3/dylanma6/public_html/internationaloildrillers/includes/module.inc).
  • Deprecated function: The each() function is deprecated. This message will be suppressed on further calls in menu_set_active_trail() (line 2405 of /home3/dylanma6/public_html/internationaloildrillers/includes/menu.inc).
  • Deprecated function: implode(): Passing glue string after array is deprecated. Swap the parameters in drupal_get_feeds() (line 394 of /home3/dylanma6/public_html/internationaloildrillers/includes/common.inc).

Artifact

Pith Helmet

Description

  • Shola-style pith helmet with a thick, rounded brim.
  • Crisscross quilt-stitched khaki cloth cover.
  • Leather strap across the top of the hat and a leather chin strap. 
  • Green material around the inner rim.
  • Puggaree, or hatband, around the outside of the hat.
  • Inside of the hat has a red, leather maker's label and reads "Dalton Vase and Co., Basrah and Baghdad."

History of Use

  • Likely worn by Ernest Kells during his contracts to drill for oil in Persia from 1922 to 1931, where temperatures frequently exceeded 45 degrees in the shade.

Background Information

  • Owned by Ernest Kells.
  • The civilian pith helmet is modeled after the military counterpart, but is lacking ornamentation and badges.
  • It was adopted by Westerners working in tropic and sub-tropic British colonies (such as Iraq, Egypt, India, and Palestine) from the mid-19th century until the late 1960s.
  • Designed to protect the wearer's head from the sun and heat.

Map Location

Latitude: 33° 19' 43.003" N
Longitude: 44° 24' 58.788" E

Date

1922-1931

Dimensions

inches
Length:
28.0
Width:
17.0
Height:
17.0

Events, Places, People

  • Ernest Kells
  • Baghdad, Iraq
  • Persia (modern Iran) 

Subject