China, Republic. A Rare China-Burma-India Theatre Flying Tigers AVG Officer's "Bombay Bowler" Pith Helmet

Nicknamed the "Bombay Bowler" due to its Indian style, this helmet is designed with a round crown and a very wide brim, the framework in cork, making the helmet very lightweight. The exterior is covered in a khaki cotton and features intertwined beige coloured threading that forms a series of diamond patterns, giving it a quilted-look, with a 27 mm wide khaki cotton band around the circumference of the crown that rests just above the brim, the ends sewn together and finished in a bow at the rear. The front has a 48.5 mm (w) x 47.5 mm (h) American Volunteer Group (AVG) pilot cap badge in bronze affixed via a screwback, the design of which features the twelve-rayed Republic of China sun flanked by wings on both sides. The exterior incorporates four beige-finished magnetic metal eyelets for ventilation, two on either side, along with a small khaki cotton loop sewn in place on the top. The lip of the helmet's brim has a khaki cotton strip sewn in place to the body of the helmet butting the exterior covering, the side facing inward without stitching. The underside of the brim is covered in a turquoise cotton, although it has discoloured with age, but when the aforementioned lip is lifted, it exposes the original colour of the adjoining cotton covering to be turquoise. Adjacent to the turquoise cotton covering there is a 40 mm wide hickory brown leather sweatband stitched in place, the sweatband trimmed in a gold-coloured rule, the ends of which are stitched together at the rear and finished with a bow-tied maroon ribbon, the left side milliner store marked in gold-coloured ink "MORRY LUXENBERG / 599 Broadway New York, N.Y. 10012". The sides of the dome above are lined in a pleated red cotton, the dome itself incorporating a red moisture resistant seal which bears the manufacturer's label "REAL SOLAPITH / HAJI ABDUL / RASHID MULLICK BROS / BEST SOLAHAT MANUFACTURERS / D54 MUNICIPAL MARKET CALCUTTA / HIGH CLASS / SUPERIOR QUALITY". The helmet measures 280 mm in width x 350 mm in length x 160 mm in height, the turquoise and red cotton lining on the interior exhibiting extensive soiling, along with a tear in the turquoise lining at the front that exposes the underlying cork framework, in addition to exhibiting moderate soiling on the exterior from active use. Very fine.

Footnote: The milliner store mark indicates that this pith helmet was sold by Morry Luxenberg, a tailor, located at 599 Broadway in New York City. He was born on June 8, 1890 and died on January 16, 1968, at the age of 77.