Fur trappers were more rustic in their hats, as seen in this 1890 Frederic Remington artwork, but the beaver pelts they sold were turned into fashionable hats fraught with peril. Mercury nitrate made producing demi-castors easier, by applying the chemical compound to hare felt that was being mixed in with the higher-quality beaver felt. That process, however, led to unfortunate health consequences for workers who made these hats—thus the phrase “mad as a hatter.”
![Magua by Marina [©2012] Native American Actors, Native American Warrior, Native American Indians, Native Americans, Style Tribal, Kino Film, American Frontier](https://i.pinimg.com/236x/dd/ea/a4/ddeaa4e3a2f4e9f6ad6bd2733ec910ab--wes-studi-indian-art.jpg)
