Hat Maker And Goldsmith In Paris, Beginning 20th Century

The conformer is an object constructed like the articulated, movable frame of a hat, reinforced with several lateral struts.
This conformateur features a multitude of ebonized wooden rods, called “touches.” They are arranged in a crown shape and held together by a wide wooden ring riveted with twenty-four small wood rings. On the outer edge of the crown, the “touches”—adorned with carved bone sections—have a coil spring fitted into their notches.
Each rod is attached at its upper end to a metal rod positioned perpendicular to it. A piece of cardboard is placed over the pins and the movable lid, which is lined with cork. The pressure from the two rings on the lid allowed the pins to mark the cardboard. It was then cut along the dotted lines and placed on a block and a molding tool. 

The manufacturer’s mark is engraved on a round mother-of-pearl medallion riveted to the base, bearing the inscription in capital letters: “Allié Aîné Paris.” Its founder, H. Maillard, patented the “Conformateur” in the 1840s.