The Dutch Series #7 - Hoeden- en Pettenfabriek VERO

If it wasn't for the collection of the Museum Rotterdam, not much would be known about the "Hoeden- en Pettenfabriek VERO", a Dutch hat and cap factory that was in operation from 1885 and shut it's doors in 1973 - donating an enormous collection of hats, caps and berets to the Museum Rotterdam. 

Red wool children's beret, 1906 

The company made a great variety of berets (among a much larger collection of other hats and caps); berets for school uniforms (that since long disappeared from view in the Netherlands), uniform berets for the Holland Amerika Lijn, 

Uniform beret deckhand Holland Amerika Lijn, 1900-1930

a variety of children's and ladies berets that were very popular early last century

Beret for "young ladies". 1922 (very much a Spanish influenced beret!)

Children's beret, 1886

and uniform berets for the rail and tramway companies. The general decline in hat and cap wearing during the 1960's and '70's made the factory shut it's doors. 
These days the old factory building houses the Gültepe mosque - the first mosque of Rotterdam.