A museum exhibit on Hollywood costumes has revealed that Harrison Ford’s famous hat, worn by archaeologist Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark, was based on an Australian fedora, modified in two respects: The crown was lowered to emphasize Indy’s face, and the brim was trimmed so that his eyes would be sure to be seen. In the following movies of the Indiana Jones franchise, the fedora was further altered.
That hat has had a major influence on Near Eastern archaeologists. A generation of dig directors has worn variations of it as they sought treasures more mundane than Indiana Jones’s. Zahi Hawass, the face of Egyptian archaeology for many years—most recently having served as Egypt’s Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs—was rarely seen without his iconic hat.
Yet some archaeology legends—such as Howard Carter, Max Mallowan, Robert Braidwood and James Henry Breasted—sported a similar style long before Indiana Jones ever graced the silver screen. So who inspired whom? It seems that Deborah Nadoolman Landis, who designed the costume for Indiana Jones, did her research and used pieces found in a typical archaeologist’s wardrobe to create at least part of Indy’s recognizable silhouette.
The exhibit Hollywood Costume was organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, where the exhibit was first displayed before beginning its world tour.1 This exhibit premiered in the United States at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond from November 9, 2013 to February 17, 2014, after which it will be displayed at the Phoenix Art Museum from March 26 to July 6, 2014. —H.S.
A museum exhibit on Hollywood costumes has revealed that Harrison Ford’s famous hat, worn by archaeologist Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark, was based on an Australian fedora, modified in two respects: The crown was lowered to emphasize Indy’s face, and the brim was trimmed so that his eyes would be sure to be seen. In the following movies of the Indiana Jones franchise, the fedora was further altered. That hat has had a major influence on Near Eastern archaeologists. A generation of dig directors has worn variations of it as they sought treasures more mundane than […]
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