Christmas is usually a time for parties, and so we bring you Charles Waterton’s Party Hat, which he made for a Fancy Dress Ball in Rome in 1818. The crown is made from razor sharp porcupine quills, embellished with toucan, macaw and quetzal feathers gathered by Waterton during his explorations in Guyana and South America. The resplendent quetzal was the sacred bird of the ancient Mayas and Aztecs.
Waterton was renowned for his quirky behaviour, which started at Stonyhurst when he tried to hide hedgehogs and dormice under his bed, and so it is unlikely that the partygoers of Rome were surprised by his fabulous hat. It is to be hoped that they steered clear of him under the mistletoe, though!
