History of the Museum
The Hat Museum is overseen by the City Hall of S. João da Madeira, in 1996.
History of the MuseumDonations
Contribute to preserving the history of hatmaking
The Hat Museum receives donations of hats and objects related to the industry, ensuring their study, conservation, and integration into the collections whenever possible.
How to donate and participate
Donate your hat to the museum
The Hat Museum can receive your hat and take good care of it. If you have any object related to the hat industry and problems in preserving it correctly, please get in touch with our Conservation Team. Tell us the history of that object and the history of the person who used it and how it was used and make the Hat Museum in your own museum.
According to the Museums Acquisitive Policy we are able to receive objects every time they allow:
- The complement of the existing collection;
- The enrichment of the collection with the improvement of the knowledge about hat industry;
- The safeguarding of collections with estimated patrimonial and cultural value, related with the industry of the region and, in particular, of the hat industry and that have the right conditions to be taken care by the museum;
Museum commitment
In result of any donation the Hat Museum is obliged to:
- Proceed with the incorporation, inventory and study of the collection;
- Proceed, if necessary, with preventive conservation or restoration actions of the objects;
- Record, catalogue and document the objects;
- Interpret all the objects of the collection associating them to the memories of the previous owners;
Incorporation criteria
The incorporation, inventory and study of the collection does not oblige the Hat Museum to integrate the objects donated in its long term or temporary exhibitions. The objects will only be used when considered necessary for scientific, cultural and educational purposes and always according to the conservation conditions of the items.
From the donator is expected all the possible support (informative, documental, iconographic or other materials) in order to ease the study and interpretation of the collection. For donation purposes please contact the Collection Management Service by the telephone +351 256 201 680 or by email museu.chapelaria@gmail.com.