Born Keith Ross in Boston, Massachusetts, Ian Keith was a veteran character actor of the legitimate theater, and appeared in a variety of colorful roles in silent features of the 1920s
I bought my husband a hat like this to wear to take our little dog out at night when we are camping in the RV. Some campgrounds are really dark and it's amazing how much light the hat puts out so they can see where they are stepping.
HIS HAT Lincoln’s silk stovepipe hat was part of his office. It was his desk and memorandum book, holding bankbook, letters and scribbled ideas placed in the hatband. To a fellow lawyer Lincoln once wrote of a lost letter, “I put it in my old hat, and buying a new one the next day, the old one was set aside, and so, the letter lost sight of for a time.” Front to rear, inside: 7-3/4" Side to side, inside: 6-1/2" Brim from underside, front to rear: 12" Brim from underside, side to rear: 10-1/2" Width of brim: 2" Height of crown: 8 1/2" Top of crown, front to rear: 7-3/4" Width of crown: 7-1/2" The stovepipe hat he wore was not a hat at all. It was a little garret-roof where he tucked in little thoughts he wrote on pieces of paper. The hat, size seven and one-eighth, had a brim one and three-quarters inches wide. The inside band, in which the more important letters and notes were tucked, measured two and three-quarters inches. The cylinder of the stovepipe was 22 inches in circumference. The hat was lined with heavy silk and, measured inside, exactly six inches deep. And people tried to guess what was going on under that hat. Written in pencil on the imitation satin paper that formed part of the lining was the signature “A. Lincoln, Springfield, Ill.,” so that any forgetful person who might take the hat by mistake would know where to bring it back. Also the hat-maker, “George Hall, Springfield, Ill.,” had printed his name in the hat so that Lincoln would know where to get another one just like it. A neighbor boy, Fred Dubois, joined with a gang who tied a string to knock off Lincoln’s hat. “Letters and papers fell out of the hat and scattered over the sidewalk,” said Dubois. “He stooped to pick them up and us boys climbed all over him.” As a young man he played marbles with boys; as an older man he spun tops with his own boys, Tad and Willie. (Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years, by Carl Sandburg)
I have one of those. Got it when I had to spend some time in the attic crawl space. It was really useful, but didn't last long. I guess the batteries can be replaced. Never had another reason to use it after that.
He's had his for 2 or 3 years now and it still works, though it isn't on for extended periods of time. Very handy for hands-on stuff where you can't hold a flashlight and tools at the same time. I've seen a similar version in a knit hat for winter use. We bought some for our little grandsons and they had a ball with them, lol.
I have no shame. This is my current everyday hat for working outside, and this picture was taken 2 years ago! Someone posted once on another forum about how disgusting it was to see men going around with salt rings on their clothes, so I was going to post this in protest, but changed my mind. To me it just means they have been working hard. If I wash it one more time it will fall apart.