The homburg was popularised in the 1890s by the future
Edward VII after he visited
Bad Homburg in
Hesse,
Germany, and brought back a hat of this style. a hat that took three months to craft and was dubbed the "international homburg" by hatters, since workers from ten countries participated in its making. Like other formal Western male headgear, the homburg ceased to be as common in the 20th century as it once was.
Al Pacino gained some renewed fame for the homburg by wearing a grey one in the 1972 film
The Godfather, for which reason the hat is sometimes called a "Godfather". Some
Orthodox Jewish rabbis wear black homburgs to the
rekel, though this practice is also in decline. The homburg was always considered to be more traditional and distinguished than the
fedora. It was sometimes jocularly referred to as a "hamburger", notably by actor
Edward Brophy in the 1958 film
The Last Hurrah. In Italy it is known as a Lobbia, from who famously was wearing one when he was assaulted. ==See also==