Grasshopper St Owl Chapeau DEMO Version 1.0

The late Victorian era saw a craze for exotic plumes and even whole birds on hats. The demand was enough to endanger many species and nearly exterminate the egret! In 1886 the ornithologist Frank Chapman made a list of the birds he saw on hats as he walked to his Manhattan office, which included “wings, heads, tails or entire bodies of three bluebirds, two red headed woodpeckers, nine Baltimore orioles, five blue jays, twenty-one common terns, a saw-whet owl and a prairie hen.”

The Audubon Society was founded in response and worked hard to bring an end to the fashion, encouraging the wearing of "Audubonnets" (unfeathered millinery). Their efforts did lead to the passing of legislation in the United States that protected native birds. However, it really wasn't until the 1920s when short bobbed hair made large hats impractical that the "Age of Extermination" was finally brought to an end.

Now you can indulge in this fashion craze of the Gilded Age without harming any real birds! There are 3 plumage & eye color options for the great horned owl, and 8 fabric choices in 4 areas for the hat itself. PBR and legacy materials are included, and every part can be tinted and modified.