Top hat ribs and springs. His patent was described as: Some sources have taken this to describe an early folding top hat, although it is not explicitly stated whether Dollman's design was specifically for male or female headgear. Dollman's patent expired in 1825. In France, around 1840, Antoine Gibus's design for a spring-loaded collapsible top-hat proved so popular that hats made to it became known as "gibus". They were also often called "opera hats" due to the common practice of storing them in their flattened state under one's seat at the opera, though the term can also refer to any tall formal
Chapeau, Quebec which became "Fred's Restaurant-Hotel". On August 26, 2008, Fred's Restaurant-Hotel and an adjacent building were completely destroyed by an overnight fire. The restaurant-hotel was a local historic landmark, owned and operated by Fred Meilleur since the 1940s and was sold to a new owner, prior to the fire. Chapeau, Quebec Chapeau is a village in the Canadian province of Quebec, located along the Culbute Channel of the Ottawa River in the municipality of L'Isle-aux-Allumettes in Pontiac Regional County Municipality. There is speculation as to the real origin of the name "Chapeau" (French for "hat"). It has been hypothesized that geography