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The humble cowboy hat, iconic though it may be, had simple origins. Philadelphia-based hatmaker John Batterson Stetson—that last name ought to be familiar—released, back in 1865, the “Boss of the Plains” hat, intended to cater to the needs of folks who spent their days on horseback under the hot sun. It didn’t look much like what we’d call a cowboy hat today. Its crown was high, smooth, and uncreased, and its brim was wide and flat. It did its job, though, more or less, providing coverage from the sun and, being waterproof, from the rain. Even then, the hats weren’t cheap—at five dollars for the most basic version, buying a Stetson in 1865 was the equivalent of sinking a hundred bucks into your hat today. Over…

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