Order of the Royal Purple Headwear

This is the Order of the Royal Purple headwear item for Olive Wadelius. This would have been part of the regalia of the organisation. Mrs. Wadelius joined the Royal Purple in 1947 and was a member until its dissolution sometime in the 2000s. She was the Honoured Royal Lady of the lodge in 1961-1962. She also held other positions such as Secretary and Past Honourable Royal Lady.

It is a bellboy style hat made from purple textile. A tassel attaches to a button on the top of the hat with a white cord. The tassel is made up of white and purple cords with a white cord tying them together near the junction where the cords meet. A small chain of cut clear stones set in chain holds the tassel to the edge of the hat. On the front of the hat is a diamond shaped pin. The pin is an outline with an elk’s bust in the centre. The diamond outline is studded with cut clear stones and the elk has cut orange stones for eyes. The inside of the hat has a brown faux leather band stitched on the bottom edge. Behind this faux leather band is tissue paper. There is a small tag on the inside of the hat that reads “Lot/Small” in blue ink. There is a thin black elastic cord running from one side of the hat to the other, to be used as a chin strap.