The story of Irma Smith, whose elegant hats grace a new exhibit at the Harrison Museum in Roanoke.
Irma Smith wearing a Jackie O-style pillbox, with children Irma Joy and Robert III.
Photo courtesy of Guy Smith
Irma “was always stylish. There were some pictures when she was younger, in poodle skirts and stuff. She always loved style. And being an African American woman from Southwest Virginia in that time frame, that was pretty unique,” says her son, Guy Smith.
Irma Smith of Pulaski was known locally as the “Hat Lady.” With her husband, Robert, her high school sweetheart to whom she was married for 50 years, she enjoyed traveling and adding to her collection of hats—notable for their stylish forms and artistic flourishes, such as feathers and intricate beading. She wore the hats to church and other special occasions, and kept the collection, which ultimately numbered 150, carefully preserved in a special room in the house.
When Irma passed away in 2016 at age 74, her son Guy decided to honor his mother by sharing her collection with others first at the Fine Arts Center in Pulaski, and now at a new exhibit at the Harrison Museum of African American Culture in Roanoke.
Extraordinary Crowns: The Collection of Irma Jean Young Smith is on display until April 30. About 30 of Smith’s hats are featured in the exhibit, which also explores the history, traditions and symbolism behind African American women’s hats, tracing their roots to African headdresses.
Here, Guy Smith tells us more about his mother’s collection.
What was your mother like?
She was a definitely humble person … My mother was one of those people who didn’t have a lot of advanced degrees or anything of that nature, but was very intelligent and she had an overabundance of wisdom. She really had a kind of servant mentality, and she served her family, she served the community as well … I think she was just a very special person.
How did she become interested in hats?
My mother grew up in the tradition of the Cogic Church, the Church of God and Christ, and her family members, like many African American women in that time, wore hats. It was part of a tradition, it was kind of a rite of passage … And part of it was deference to God to have their heads covered, but also part of it was a way to express themselves on Sundays. During the 1960s, you had a lot of women doing manual labor in homes. They would wear [work clothes and] wraps around their heads. And then on Sundays, it was an opportunity for them to celebrate and show their style and beauty. I jokingly call it a “secret society of hats.”
What did you think about the hats growing up? Did you have a favorite one?
I can remember my mother saying, “Don’t you mess with those hats.” My mother had several hats from the Essence line. There was one, it was kind of that golden harvest orange that was popular in the 1960s, and it had these beautiful feathers in the front of it. And the color reminded me of Big Bird from Sesame Street so I would call her “Big Bird.” That’s probably one of my favorites.
Why did you decide to exhibit the hats?
When I was going through some stuff after she passed away, I started looking at them, and I stopped and called to my wife, and I said, “You know, it would be terrible for other people not to see these beautiful hats.” She had made such a big impression on women in the church and different people, and they all remember her as the “Hat Lady.” … I was honestly just amazed at the volume of hats and the beauty and quality of craftsmanship of the hats themselves. My mother, she liked pretty things, but she didn’t like cheap things at all.
“Showstopper.”
Photo courtesy of Harrison Museum of African American Culture
Tell me about the exhibit at the Fine Arts Center in Pulaski.
The first exhibit was called Beauty and Grace In the Midst of Adversity because she suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for many years [beginning in her twenties]. Then she had kidney complications because many of the anti-inflammatories took a toll on her body. But she never let that define her. People didn’t think about that. They just looked at her and said, “She’s just beautiful, she carries herself with grace.” A lot of people didn’t understand the adversity that she was going through, health-wise.
Tell me a little bit about the importance of church in your mother’s life.
She basically went every Sunday to First Baptist Church on Magazine Street when her health was permitting. It was her faith that really brought her through a lot of struggles. Faith was that anchor for her.
What has been the response to the exhibits?
They have touched people in a lot of different ways. And I think they have also highlighted some of the class and finesse and dignity that some women of color and just women in general had in the past. It’s one of those things that would be nice to reclaim now and in the future. It has so many different facets and I think the Harrison Museum has done a really fantastic job with some of the historical information about them and then you see these hats are so much more than just hats.
Tell me about how she organized them in the house.
She had a gazillion boxes. At the peak of her collection she had 150 hats, all in this second floor bedroom together. She had these handwritten notes—we still have them—that she would put on the boxes that would describe the hats and the seasons. She could move up and down the steps but sometimes it was a little more difficult, so could direct my father to go to this box, and my father would bring it downstairs for her. Some of them look like they are brand new.
Did she wear hats every day?
She didn’t wear them every day, but she probably wore them more than not … She and my dad traveled a lot for vacations … My mother was very wise, so she really didn’t want anyone else having a particular hat like she had. She had different people who would make an enhanced hat for her or just go to different places and find hats that people wouldn’t find in this area. And finding the hats was something my parents enjoyed doing together. He enjoyed seeing his queen in her crown.
For more information on Extraordinary Crowns: The Collection of Irma Jean Young Smith, don’t miss our April 2017 issue, on newsstands this month. HarrisonMuseum.com
