He had rubies and pearls and the loveli-est girls, But he didn’t know
how to do-oo the rhumba …
How many of you–I wonder–remember that song? It was called: The
Maharajah of Magador, sung … I believe … by Cab Calloway. In any
case … this is my way of segueing to India of the 1800’s where hats
and clothes were often adorned with all manner of
Hey … Bahadur … tell your manservant I want more pearls on my
headdress. And more rubies. And more emeralds. And more … and more
… and more …
Jewelry bedeckings on hats were the rage of the elite wealthy class
who vied for recognition with royalty. Yo … Jaipal … get me some
more Molly’s going to be there tonight making eyes at
Balban.
There was a striving for individual effect that would ensure that
this person’s headdress far surpassed that of any of the others’.
Wealth and social rank could be determined by the amount of gems one
wore on one’s clothing. In those days … less was not more. More was
more. It was an age of simple irrefutable logic. Less is more is a
product of modernism as it embraces an idealogy of befuddlement.
So I have an image folks … of the ultimate headdress. Is there a
soul alive on this planet today that would not wear this little
chapeau with pride and aplomb? You be the judge. And get back to me
on this. Ya hear?
For those of you who are new to this thing called Tidbits…may I
direct you to my home page at www.tyler-adam.com where you will
scroll down the left side menu till you get to the area that says
Tidbits Graphics … and then click on the link that says: Headdress
for a view of a classic portrayal of a time long gone by.
And there ya have it.
That’s it for this week folks.
Catch you all next week.
Benjamin Mark