The Man in the Hathaway Shirt

Though I wasn’t born yet when advertising legend David Ogilvy created “The Man in the Hathaway Shirt” in 1951, I have a vivid memory of his iconic image. When I was a kid, I would go with my dad to his favorite clothiers on Cleveland’s west side – either Captain’s Quarters or Ford’s Clothier in Rocky River, Ohio – and I would see the Hathaway ads in the shops. At the time, I thought the Hathaway shirt man and his signature eyepatch were badass.

The C.F. Hathaway Company was founded in 1837 in Waterville, Maine, manufacturing shirts for soldiers in the Civil War. According to advertising legend, Mr. Ogilvy was inspired to create the “man with the eyepatch” campaign by a photograph of Lewis Williams Douglas, an American diplomat, politician and businessman who had lost an eye in a fishing accident. The model who appeared in the actual ads was Baron George Wrangell, a Russian aristocrat. Wrangell had two functioning eyes and perfect vision, but he apparently loved to drink, which caused his hands to shake during photo shoots for the ads. An apparatus was used to keep him steady in front of the camera.

Hathaway closed its Maine factory in 2002, effectively making it the last major American company to make shirts in the United States.

4 Comments

Alex 12 years ago

I worked as a young teenager in the Captain’s Quarters in Rocky River. The founder, Walter Myers, was my next door neighbor. Thanks for the recollections and website.
- George Post Author 12 years ago
  
  I remember Captain’s Quarters! My dad used to shop there. On Detroit in Rocky River. It’s now a jeweler, I think. Ah, the ’70s…