Annie Mae McClain was born in 1913 in Belzoni, Mississippi. She married Terry McClain in 1993 and they moved to Milwaukee in the late 1930s in search of better jobs. They joined the relatively small black community there and immediately set about looking for a church. The McClains settled on Tabernacle Community Baptist Church. Ms. McClain was apparently a very independent woman because, at some point, she took a job at a tannery against the wishes of her husband. A couple years later, she began working as a beautician, a job she would keep until retirement. The job provided her with disposable income which allowed her to increase the size of her wardrobe. Along the way, she developed a love for hats which she wore to church on Sundays.
In addition to Ms. McClain's story, the collection addresses the role of the church in the black community where women are renowned for their hats.
Yeah, I know it's not a great picture but it shows a congregation with the women all behatted. (Is that a real word?) While I cannot recall exactly how this is remarked upon at the exhibit, the current issue of the Wisconsin Academy Review includes this passage:
Annie Mae's great-niece Terri Birst, who learned to love hats from her auntie, shares her philosophy. Dressing up in a hat is not a vanity, it's an assertion that you recognize your own value: "You want to look your best for the Lord." In the now-classic book, Crowns (Doubleday, 2000), which documents the black church hat tradition, author Craig Marberry notes the hats' double purpose: "These captivating hats are not mere fashion accessories. Neither, despite their Biblical roots, are they solely religious headgear. Church hats are a peculiar convergence of faith and fashion that keeps the Sabbath both holy and glamorous."
Here are the hats:
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