Objekt 2130
A hat for freedom
Description
In Basel, laws dating back to the Reformation were in effect up to the end
of the 18th century. A handful of privileged families had governed city and
country for generations, while those in the countryside remained subjects
of the city. The French Revolution of 1789 was the external trigger for
a coup d’état in which the country people demanded equality and the recognition
of human rights. When the city met their demands, a celebration of
‘brotherhood’ took place on 22 January 1798. This hat adorned the tall ‘freedom
tree’ erected on the Münster Square for the occasion.
Object description
Basel freedom hat
Basel, late 18th century
sheet iron, tin-plated and set
given by Zeughaus Basel-Stadt
Inv. 1894.38.