2-832-520 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Green circular hatbox (a) and lid (b) made from pasteboard painted green. The lid can be fixed to the bottom with two lengths of white cotton twill tape attached to the base. There is white topstitching along the rim and the top edge of the lid. Metal brads are used to hold the sides of the base and the lid, and the bottom of the base to the sides. Mae Reeves (1912-2016) was a pioneering African-American milliner who was famous for her custom-made hats. Her business, Mae's Millinery Shop in downtown Philadelphia, was one of the first shops in the city to be owned by a woman of African American heritage.