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Title
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Feather Fever
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Description
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A fashion statement that began as a show of wealth and status quickly turned into a wildly popular display of fashion among all classes in the late 19th century. This was the use of bird feathers or plumage on hats. Women of the time looked to acquire the most extravagant feathers, or at times, even full birds upon their hats. The massive demand that was required to fuel this new fashion trend proved to be largely devastating to bird populations across the world, with large feather markets in major cities like London and New York City, yet hunting of these birds was being done wherever they could be found. At the peak of the "feather fever", many different species of birds faced extinction, like the Snowy Egret, but with the help of conservationists like Paul Kroegel, Harriet Hemenway, and Theodore Roosevelt, along with the societal change during WW1 to more practical clothing, many of these bird populations were saved. The "feather fever" shows just how much of an effect humans have on the environment, as a simple fashion trend was able to nearly wipe out large numbers of bird populations in a couple of decades.
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Date
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1860 – 1910
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Location - Physical Location
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Broadway and E 23rd St, New York, NY 10010
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Name
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Carter Rousseau
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cites
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https://museumsvictoria.com.au/article/flight-of-fashion-when-feathers-were-worth-twice-their-weight-in-gold/
