1-158-936 - Oxford Science Archive/Heritage Images

Making beaver hats, 1835. Although called beaver hats, a certain amount of beaver fur was only used in the most expensive examples. In most others, rabbit fur was used. Here workers are felting the body of the hats in a kettle. The felted material was placed on a wooden block and formed into a hat. The nap of the material was then raised by brushing. Mercury was used in the kettle and the hatters inhaled vapourised mercury in the steam. As a result many of them suffered from the uncontrollable shaking typical of mercury poisoning which attacked the central nervous system. The Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland exhibited these symptoms. From The Saturday Magazine. (London, 10 January 1835).