subject: Alice's Adventures And The Mad Hatter [print this page] The book "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by the English writer, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (usually known by his pseudonym, Lewis Carroll) happens to be a beloved book for generations. It's hard to believe that he ever thought that his little book about Alice and her companions in Wonderland would still fascinate and divert after nearly 150 years. But such is the power of works that bring out your imagination with such wonderfully vivid and imaginative characters and situations. The tale of a little girl Alice falling down the rabbit hole into a land of illusions full of rather remarkable creatures has an lasting appeal. How few of the little girls who have read this story have not imagined visiting Wonderland and its magical characters, regardless if just for a day!
Perhaps the most recognizable (human) character found in the book is "The Hatter," usually referred to as the "Mad Hatter," he is always having tea with his friend March Hare because he was once accused of "killing time" at a celebration for the Red Queen and had been sentenced to death! While he escaped execution, he and his friend were then forever stuck at 6:00 because Time had halted himself with respect to the Hatter as retaliation for the attempted "murder." The Hatter is called "mad" by the Cheshire Cat, who directs Alice to the "Mad Tea Party," but he's not the only character in the story so described.
Both "mad as a hatter" and "mad as a march hare" were commonly used phrases in Dodgson's England. While in the case of the Hatter, the phrase referred to an unfortunate condition that many hatmakers suffered: mercury poisoning. At that time, the process used to turn fur into felt used a chemical solution that contained mercury. Mercury from the solution would get into the air inside the hatmaking shops and factories and be breathed in by the milliners. The mercury would build up in their systems over time and cause trembling, memory loss, irritability and anxiety. Even today, mercury poisoning is often called "Mad Hatter Syndrome" by doctors, though hatmakers no longer suffer from it.
Many historians suggest that the Mad Hatter was inspired by a real man known to the author, a furniture seller named Theophilus Carter who operated a shop in Oxford from the early 1850s to the mid 1890s. Mr. Carter was also known as a (rather eccentric) inventor, his most famous creation being an alarm-clock bed that deposited the dreamer onto the floor. Mad, indeed! Dodgson was suspected of modeling many others of his characters after persons he knew and worked with at Oxford, also.
A mad hatter costume makes a great choice for Halloween. The distinctive appearance of the hatter was created by the first illustrator of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," Sir John Tenniel. He always wears a top-hat along with the price card still in the band; the price is set at 10/6, which means "10 schillings and 6 pence," or about half a guinea in the old English money system. This was actually a significant sum of money when the the story was written, roughly equivalent to about $500 US today. In addition to this signature hat, he wears a weathered topcoat and an oversized tie. In most of the film productions, the colors of his clothing are inclined to the gaudy and flamboyant. Particularly with this year's production of "Alice in Wonderland" from Disney pictures, a mad hatter costume will be a terrific choice; everyone who has seen the film will bear in mind Johnny Depp's performance as the Mad Hatter, and recognize you instantly!
