19th Century American Pickelhaube Spiked Helmet

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Extremely scarce and wonderfully preserved example of an American pickelhaube used by a militia unit, probably dating from the 1880s. It is a copy of the Prussian Model 1867 or 1871 helmets. Various features of the tooling and manufacture of this piece reveal that it was domestically produced rather than imported. The helmet was found recently in an attic in Maine and was purchased as part of an estate sale. One interesting detail is that the helmet is enormous by contemporary 19 th century standards. The helmet size, 7 5/8,” is written in the dome and even with normal shrinkage from age it still fits a size large head by current measure. Note that this is an American, not European size. There is also an inked notation on the cape interior reads: "23 ½.” This is the measurement in inches of the approximate circumference of the helmet's interior. This measurement corresponds to a size 7 3/8 American. The brass fittings on the helmet were never gilded and have a wonderful uniform patina. One of the very few published articles on this type of helmet appeared in a recent addition of Military Collector and Historia n by A.M.de Quesada, “The Prussianization of the Americas : a study of German-style pickelhauben of North and South America .” One helmet that appears in a photograph at the end of the article is attributed to the Rhode Island Light Artillery. This strongly resembles this helmet with the exception of a brass “A” attached to the eagle. Quesada speculates that this helmet was of German manufacture, although this notion has been challenged. I turned this helmet over to one of the top conservators for professional restoration (more on this later) and analysis. His opinion, based on hands-on forensic analysis of many 19 th century helmets both American and German is that the piece is definitely American made. Furthermore, he thinks it is highly likely that it came from the workshops of Wm. Horstmann & Co. Among the reasons are: The front plate is crafted of precisely the weight of sheet brass used in stamping US M1881 dress helmet front plates. This weight of brass sheet is approximately 2/3 that used on standard German Pickelhaube plates, and perhaps double that of the lightweight, very early American spiked helmet front plates. The Pickelhaube body appears to have been made by a trained and talented craftsman who didn't make leather-bodied spiked helmets every day. While the finished helmet certainly has the look of a German Pickelhaube, some of its details are not seen on German helmets. For example, the liner looks German, but is only tacked in place at eight locations with a single large stitch. German liners are invariably sewn around their entire perimeters. Too, the skiving around the shell's interior is far more irregular than that seen on European products, evidently accomplished with a tobacco knife rather than a French edge skiver. The size inked on the shell's interior is American, not English or Continental. The die work on the front plate looks like that of Horstmann's shops, and the plate's affixing nuts are one unique diagnostic feature. These brass nuts are fitted with an integral finger loop, a distinctive feature thought to be unique to Horstmann's top-of-the-line helmets. The brads braised to the domed rivets used in affixing the spike base plate are identical in weight to the brads found on US M1881 dress helmet side buttons--approximately half that of the German standard. The heads of the rivets are far smaller than those ever used on German helmets. The construction of the helmet differs from the German standard in one helpful (to the original craftsman, anyway) fashion: there is sufficient space between the liner attachment points and the visor and cape seams that the liner may be stitched in place last. This would have been a great time (and annoyance) saver during original construction, since the stitching order can be reversed, which is far easier. German pickelhauben were never constructed this way. The leather liner was indifferent... read more

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