Collections record Beta

Woman's Red Cross Hat

1932-18-15

Black straw boater style hat with grograin black ribbon on blue felt (slight strip of blue showing); flat black bow; in front, enamel Red Cross pin; inside, leather hat band, black lining

This hat was worn by Anna Lansing with her Red Cross uniform during her time of service during World War I. Born in 1871, Anna Lansing served in the American Red Cross Canteen Service during WWI. With the American entry into the war, transportation difficulties and congestion at important railroad junctions often made it impossible for soldiers to receive adequate meals prior to boarding and disembarking. The United States government requested the American Red Cross provide refreshments at railroad junctions, both at home and abroad, for the military on troop trains. As a result, the canteen service was founded and it grew quickly in both the United States and Europe to serve Allied troops from the U.S., France, Italy, and Great Britain. By the end of the war, the Red Cross was operating 700 fixed canteens and served refreshments to nearly 40 million members of the armed forces. The canteen service distributed 1.5 million gallons of coffee, 15 million sandwiches, and 11 million cookies, doughnuts, and pies. This work was only accomplished due to the sheer number of women who found time away from their home, children, and wartime jobs to volunteer. In total some 55,000 women volunteered with the Red Cross during the First World War.

ca. 1914-1918

• straw
• silk