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A Conquering Hat: a History of the Bicorn

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  • čas přidán 5. 09. 2024
  • Emblematic of Napoleon Bonaparte and his age of conquest, the bicorn is a distinctive military hat that became part of the most formal of dress uniforms and remains to this day in certain ceremonial outfits
    Version française: • Video
    The bicorn I wear in this video comes from Theatr'Hall in Paris www.theatrhall.... The uniform comes from thejacketshop.co.uk
    Title sequence designed by Alexandre Mahler
    am.design@live.com
    This video was done for entertainment and educational purposes. No copyright infringement of any sort was intended.

Komentáře • 197

  • @d1egomon194
    @d1egomon194 Před 10 měsíci +6

    Holy shit there’s an entire channel dedicated to hat history? We live in the right timeline

  • @Redhand1949
    @Redhand1949 Před 4 měsíci +8

    Your closing, "I tip my hat to you," is priceless!

  • @donjones4719
    @donjones4719 Před 6 měsíci +11

    The bicorn worn sideways always puzzled me with its impracticality. On a sunny day the wearer had the sun in his eyes, on a rainy day the rain was in his eyes, and with its large size it must have been a full time job to hold on to it on a windy day. I understand that back in the day hats were worn with a very tight fit but the sail area of the hat is huge.
    Worn fore and aft there still was only limited protection from the sun and rain.

  • @nikoisland6731
    @nikoisland6731 Před rokem +15

    I find it kinda funny that these hats are widely associated with pirates in childrens media, despite seeing next to no use in the golden age of piracy. Interesting history as well

  • @princecharon
    @princecharon Před 5 měsíci +32

    Napoleon's personal style was so well-known, and his presence on the battlefield so important to the troops, that Wellington said his hat was worth 40,000 men.

  • @daringdare5078
    @daringdare5078 Před 2 lety +75

    I’m surprised you haven’t made a video on the béret as your channel is half French and it’s the best hat around.

    • @hathistorianjc
      @hathistorianjc  Před 2 lety +32

      Patience, you must have. ;)

    • @bbyng7316
      @bbyng7316 Před rokem +4

      Please don't waste your very good energies on the Berét? It is silly and boring. Many thanks in advance.

    • @daringdare5078
      @daringdare5078 Před rokem +3

      @@bbyng7316 Too late, mate.

    • @brandonzhou2233
      @brandonzhou2233 Před rokem +6

      @@bbyng7316 bro what do you have against berets

    • @spokes1018
      @spokes1018 Před 9 měsíci +5

      And it takes the British army to wear it correctly

  • @anthonylangley8717
    @anthonylangley8717 Před 4 měsíci +3

    Nice. I started watching and figured I’d give the video a couple of minutes of my time, and ended up watching the whole thing. Well done.

  • @christophergraves6725
    @christophergraves6725 Před 7 měsíci +27

    I love the bicorn. It looks stylish and elegant- a sign of the Eighteenth Century when even the military was more stylish and elegant.

    • @simontemplar6279
      @simontemplar6279 Před 6 měsíci +1

      Agreed. This is an elegant and expressive uniform hat.

    • @Westyrulz
      @Westyrulz Před 6 měsíci +1

      I wear mine to disco's.

  • @robert-trading-as-Bob69
    @robert-trading-as-Bob69 Před 8 měsíci +9

    I wonder if the Montera, the kind of bicorn looking matador hat made famous by bullfighters, was a bicorn originally, stylized and downsized?
    It came along, according to Wikipedia, in the mid 1830s which was the height of the bicorn cocked hats popularity.

  • @kriptoniteXD
    @kriptoniteXD Před 2 lety +26

    Love the channel! Last Summer I met a guy who colects hats of each country that he travels to.
    I was immediately in love by this hobby!
    I have to thank CZcams algorithm for showing this channel!

    • @hathistorianjc
      @hathistorianjc  Před 2 lety +7

      I try to do the same thing
      Glad you enjoy the videos!

  • @andrewhumphries4029
    @andrewhumphries4029 Před 6 měsíci +6

    Excellent portrayal, thank you. Of course the fore and aft bicorn fashion in the UK military (and others who emulated it) was set by the Duke of Wellington. As a hard-riding general it was ideal for staying, pressed down to his ears, fixed to his head during his legenday gallops around the battlefield!

  • @grepora
    @grepora Před 8 měsíci +6

    The well known mantle clock often called the Napoleon hat clock (or less elegantly, the hump clock) is formally called the Tambour clock.

  • @ianrogerburton1670
    @ianrogerburton1670 Před měsícem +1

    I will always remember seeing for the first time as a kid an illustration from "Oliver Twist" of Mr Bumble the Parish Beadle with a ginormous bicorn. As local ceremonial officials Beadles dressed impressively so that they got noticed - just like my action figure of Napoleon (complete with bicorn) who is staring at me right now.

  • @TyrSkyFatherOfTheGods
    @TyrSkyFatherOfTheGods Před 6 měsíci +10

    Wonderful video! I was delighted to see the former Lieutenant Governor of my home province of British Columbia, Hon. David Lam, in court dress - which has become so rare, unfortunately. One image I would have liked to have seen is that of Anne, the Princess Royal. She really rocks her admiral's bicorn.

  • @blacksquirrel4008
    @blacksquirrel4008 Před 6 měsíci +2

    I always heard Spanish police and the Carabinieri kept them so they could nap against a wall while still in uniform.

  • @Philobiblion
    @Philobiblion Před 6 měsíci +3

    Excellent video. Have you noticed that the surviving Napoleon bicorns, at least two of which have sold at auction recently, tend to be smaller than those depicted in paintings, or actually worn by generals and other high ranking officers? The 1970 film Waterloo, with Christopher Plummer and Rod Steiger is historically accurate in depicting Napoleon wearing the more compact model.

    • @jimmydesouza4375
      @jimmydesouza4375 Před 6 měsíci

      Things being out of scale in paintings is pretty normal. Some of it is unintentional (due to scale being hard) but some of it is intentional to make it easier to paint in details.

    • @Heyu7her3
      @Heyu7her3 Před 5 měsíci

      Napoleon wanted his painters to exaggerate things. This was part of his propaganda.

  • @bern1228
    @bern1228 Před 2 lety +8

    Thank you for the tip of the hat. I tip my hat to you as well, good sir. Always entertaining and informative. Best wishes!

  • @simonholdsworth6867
    @simonholdsworth6867 Před měsícem

    In land use, it makes sense to wear the bicorn with the long edge oriented front to back - this is to reduce drag during long land marches. In naval use, it makes sense to wear the bicorn with the long edge orientated side to side, parallel with the shoulders - this is to increase the effective sail area of the vessel so as to more speedily propel it through the water.

  • @Nooblivious
    @Nooblivious Před 2 lety +6

    Very interesting niche, hope it pops off virally for you

  • @leifewald5117
    @leifewald5117 Před rokem +3

    Making a video on the bicorn hat Now that’s soldiering

  • @sgtmtrush
    @sgtmtrush Před 5 měsíci +2

    You didn't mention it's also the everyday head-wear of Cap'n Crunch.

  • @dennis12dec
    @dennis12dec Před 3 měsíci

    On my visit to France 🇫🇷 some years back I stumbled upon the Bastille Day Parade in Paris, those marching along the Champs Elysee wearing the bicorn hats are students of the prestigious École Polytechnique.

  • @cliffordholder9801
    @cliffordholder9801 Před 4 měsíci

    I love your videos! Knights of Columbus used to have a bicorn as part of the dress uniform but I think they have now moved to a beret.

  • @johnrobinson4445
    @johnrobinson4445 Před 5 měsíci +2

    Really excellent presentation. I enjoyed it very much and it answered all of my questions. Thank you.

  • @MrThePsychologist
    @MrThePsychologist Před 6 měsíci +1

    I LOVE HATS ESPECIALY THE MILITARY ONES A REASON I JOINED THE ARMY AND BEEN A REENACTOR

  • @KAZVorpal
    @KAZVorpal Před 5 měsíci +2

    So you're saying the bicorn and tricorn were essentially a cowboy hat with the brim turned up...
    Where can I see an example of such a had without the folds?
    Also, did they ever unfold it during rainy or sunny weather, to protect their head and face the way brims only exist to do in the first place?

  • @adriandunne4382
    @adriandunne4382 Před rokem +3

    The British Household Cavalry officers still wear the bicorne hat with full dress uniform on certain occasions, and it is also worn by the Master of the Horse with his special court uniform, and by the Lord Great Chamberlain and the Earl Marshall and some others with their full dress civil service or court dress.

    • @thomasbeach905
      @thomasbeach905 Před 7 měsíci

      The Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria (of Lipizzaner fame) uses it too.

    • @adriandunne4382
      @adriandunne4382 Před 6 měsíci

      The English and Scottish Heralds also wear bicorn hats as well as head coachmen of the Royal Mews .

  • @xavier6551
    @xavier6551 Před 2 lety +5

    Very interesting. Thank you. The history of this iconic hat is very good. The symbol of the french emperor. He is a legend today. Vive la France !

  • @stormeaglegaming5395
    @stormeaglegaming5395 Před 2 lety +6

    Thanks for this lesson

  • @resolute123
    @resolute123 Před 2 lety +7

    Great video! I hope you would consider doing a video on US Cavalry Stetson.

    • @philvanderlaan5942
      @philvanderlaan5942 Před 2 lety +1

      I think your talking about the Hardee hat , and if so it’s more of an Infantry hat.

    • @resolute123
      @resolute123 Před 2 lety +2

      @@philvanderlaan5942 I know what you are talking about (Iron Brigade), but a modern tradition with the US Army's cavalry is associated with the Stetson. Think "Apocalypses Now. "

  • @nozrep
    @nozrep Před 6 měsíci +2

    i actually just recently even learned the word, cockade, and what it is, as I am currently listening to a very interesting French Revolution podcast called Grey History. Have learned a ton about the French Revolution that American school definitely never covered. I think American high school in my part of Texas, we maybe did one week or a few days lessons on the French Revolution. And at first before learning or relearning, I assumed that the cockade was also some sort of hat until I googled. The monarchists and revolutionaries wore different color cockades as I am sure you are aware and the podcast host shared how monarchists could get beaten or murdered if they were caught wearing the monarchist color cockade in the wrong part of town. All before the terrors and in the early days of like, 1789, 1790.

  • @onearmy942
    @onearmy942 Před 2 lety +4

    Well done, 👏 bravo! I always had a curiosity about those hats, haven seen them in so many films and books. Thank you for this bit of historical detail.

  • @brickbuildingbros3574
    @brickbuildingbros3574 Před 2 lety +5

    I just found your channel and I love it! I love to see channels about more specific topics of history. I hope you succeed here on CZcams.

  • @jonathanulrich4905
    @jonathanulrich4905 Před 5 měsíci

    Just found your channel.I never knew I wanted to learn about the history of hats.thank you for your videos.enjoying them very much

  • @ERJones-fd6oh
    @ERJones-fd6oh Před 4 měsíci

    I've learned so much about this iconic hat, thank you.

  • @JH-lo9ut
    @JH-lo9ut Před 5 měsíci +1

    I wear a bicorn every day. Don't leave home without it.

  • @AndrejPanjkov
    @AndrejPanjkov Před měsícem

    What a great channel this is!

  • @miguelrotaeche8582
    @miguelrotaeche8582 Před 2 měsíci

    Bravo, jeune homme!

  • @ryann5247
    @ryann5247 Před 2 lety +4

    He has a Missouri flag. Cool

  • @EricsTableNapoleonicBattles

    Another great and informative video. Since my channel focuses on the Napoleonic Era, I had my logo include a bicorn (although I don’t wear one in my videos!)

  • @TyrelErickson-sw8dn
    @TyrelErickson-sw8dn Před 5 měsíci

    A nice blast of sunshine right on the eyes.

  • @joemccarthywascorrect6240
    @joemccarthywascorrect6240 Před měsícem

    The bicorn is also part of formal/parade dress for The Knights of Columbus.

  • @philvanderlaan5942
    @philvanderlaan5942 Před 2 lety +3

    The tucked under the arm comment makes me think of the garrison cap , is that a distant relation?

    • @hathistorianjc
      @hathistorianjc  Před 2 lety +5

      No, the garrison cap was created as an undress cap for when the bicorn, tricorn, or shako wasn't worn, in the late 18th century. It was usually made with an old trouser leg by the troops.

  • @colintwyning9614
    @colintwyning9614 Před 6 měsíci

    Very informative, I love these historic details, Thankyou ( presently catching up on all your hat videos)🎩🎓🧢🪖⛑👒

  • @nozrep
    @nozrep Před 6 měsíci +6

    side note i also find it fascinating how long it took armies to figure out that helmets are super essential. like when i listened to Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History series on WWI and he told of documentations noted about how the French army got caught out and slaughtered real reallllll bad early in the war partially because they were not wearing helmets even then and were wearing the brightly colored 19th century uniforms. Fascinating!

    • @JH-lo9ut
      @JH-lo9ut Před 5 měsíci +2

      Helmets only became essential when air-burst artillery were invented. They weren't useless before that, but they probably weren't worth the effort, as they wouldn't stop a musket ball or bullet. The advance in weapons technology in between 1871 (franko-prussian war) and 1914 (world war one) is so extreme, we can hardly understand it.
      One field of progress that is rarely discussed is medicine. In world war one medicine had progressed to the point where a soldier could actually survive many battle injuries that previously would have led to a slow and painful death from gangrene.
      For example, X-ray machines made it possible to locate shrapnel and bullets lodged in the body, and the surgeons were skilled enough to extract them without killing the patient.
      Head injuries though, were often fatal because there is only so much you can do to a patient who has suffered injury to the brain. Wearing a helmet suddenly made a huge difference for survivability.

    • @thomaseriksen6885
      @thomaseriksen6885 Před 5 měsíci +2

      Helmets have been in use for millennia. Might have fallen out of fashion for a hot minute, some places, but they have been continuously and consistently in use on a global scale

  • @Srulio
    @Srulio Před 5 měsíci

    Please tell us more about the Italian Bersaglieri hat and its feathers....

  • @susie9893
    @susie9893 Před 17 dny

    This was interesting and answered most of the questions I had that led me to this video. Weirdly I've always associated this hat with pirates - when worn parallel to the shoulders. Likely due to the rebellious reasons to the British empire that you listed?
    (FYI, when wearing that hat parallel to your shoulders you look oddly like James Spader)

  • @charlesgrimm13
    @charlesgrimm13 Před 9 měsíci

    Thanks, this is both informative and enjoyable!

  • @sirfox950
    @sirfox950 Před 2 lety +2

    Next one is the flatcap, I would even bet money

  • @reinaldogarcia70
    @reinaldogarcia70 Před 6 měsíci

    Thank you for educating us😊

  • @darylwilliams7883
    @darylwilliams7883 Před 5 měsíci

    Associated with Napoleon but worn much more universally by officers of many armies.

  • @Weesel71
    @Weesel71 Před 4 měsíci

    I've wondered if the bicorn is an echo of a Roman centurions side-side plume. Both certainly stand out from the rank and file and make locating the wearer during battle a lot easier.

  • @Green__one
    @Green__one Před 7 měsíci

    The fore and aft worn bicorn has long been one of my absolute favourite hats. I have never however been a fan of it being worn athwart.

  • @brentbeacham9691
    @brentbeacham9691 Před 5 měsíci

    This video sends me to your tricon video. Thanks

  • @stevenstreets695
    @stevenstreets695 Před 5 měsíci

    Bicorn, tricorn... There has to be a unicorn in here somewhere.

  • @tommunyon2874
    @tommunyon2874 Před 3 měsíci

    My dad thought he was doing me a favor when he took his Stetson, for which he had paid a small fortune in Santa Fe during his single days, and refashioned it in the manner that Rusty on "Rin Tin Tin" wore his Western hat. This was with the front brim pinned up, much like a bicorn. I thought it looked lame, but what could I say after he vandalized his otherwise good Stetson by soaking and steaming it.

  • @TheQuietProfessional
    @TheQuietProfessional Před rokem +2

    This was awesome info. Beautifully made and very informative. Congratulations!!

  • @JamesKonzek-xr5zy
    @JamesKonzek-xr5zy Před 6 měsíci

    I want it! I'm gonna get one. I'm gonna where it all the time. 😃

  • @gorillazzillathemeh5897
    @gorillazzillathemeh5897 Před 4 měsíci

    Londo Molari, INTENSIFIES.

  • @seanmcdaniel5094
    @seanmcdaniel5094 Před 5 měsíci

    As always, delightful. But how about the traditional hat of Spain's Guardia Civil? I specifically mean the scary leather one of the guerra civil and the Franco era? Very much seems related to some of the mid to late 19th century bicorns.

  • @inregionecaecorum
    @inregionecaecorum Před 8 měsíci

    Whilst I am a person who is not known for never wearing a hat, I reckon the Boney or Nelson hat is amongst the most impractical. I could happily wear a tricorne if I could get one, and I do indeed sometimes wear a hat with the brim turned up to one side but , I really do not think this is my style at all. FWIW at the current time I am rocking a Swedish ski cap with turn down ear warmers.

  • @user-hu3iy9gz5j
    @user-hu3iy9gz5j Před 4 měsíci

    My favorite french Emperor..
    T. Bicorn

  • @rogersheddy6414
    @rogersheddy6414 Před 6 měsíci

    This hat looks the most natural on you.

  • @gaygambler
    @gaygambler Před 8 měsíci +1

    Napoleon’s Hat recently sold For $2.1 million dollars.

  • @ottobonirobert
    @ottobonirobert Před 6 měsíci

    The Guardia Civil still wear it sided to side in service dress ... see wikipedia page

  • @samanthafordyce5795
    @samanthafordyce5795 Před 5 měsíci

    I have seen photos of US Navy officers from the 1930s still wearing bicorns. I suspect it went away after WWII.

  • @leucianreynolds1393
    @leucianreynolds1393 Před rokem +1

    Captain k'nuckles wears a bicorn hat

  • @AK-xu5sj
    @AK-xu5sj Před 6 měsíci

    I can see a nod to the roman centurion helmet plume.

  • @777cmm777
    @777cmm777 Před 6 měsíci +1

    Other than "eccentric," is there a particular word or term for people that collect hats?

  • @Tconcept
    @Tconcept Před 6 měsíci +1

    These are very good videos, thank you 👍👍👍

  • @ruffmansavageveteran1345
    @ruffmansavageveteran1345 Před 6 měsíci +1

    How about recent black berets in the US Army in the last recent years?

  • @AIRSOFTREEACTOR
    @AIRSOFTREEACTOR Před rokem +2

    I wish tricorns and bicornes would come back to every day use. Id much prefer them to my usual snapback baseball hats and boonie hats.

  • @karlaverbeck9413
    @karlaverbeck9413 Před 5 měsíci

    The costumes add so much to your video s. Do you make them?

    • @hathistorianjc
      @hathistorianjc  Před 5 měsíci

      I wish I had the talent to! No I find them in various places usually online

  • @ppoletto
    @ppoletto Před rokem +3

    very nice video as always, and as a Brazilian, I was surprised to see at 0:55 Hermes da Fonseca, Brazil's President from 1910-1914 (he mas a military as well)

  • @frankmenchaca9993
    @frankmenchaca9993 Před 6 měsíci

    Xlnt video. Where does the headgear of the Spanish Guardia Civil come from? A tip of the derby for such a fascinating channel.

  • @CaliShlomp
    @CaliShlomp Před 2 lety +3

    Where do you find your hats? I have a small collection and am looking to expand.

    • @hathistorianjc
      @hathistorianjc  Před 2 lety +3

      Mostly online, there are plenty of sites that sell them. If you look at the description of each video, I say where I got the hat I wear in it and usually provide a link to the place if I can.

    • @Green__one
      @Green__one Před 7 měsíci

      @@hathistorianjc In this video you link to a single bicorn as being worn in the video, however you wear multiple different bicorns throughout. links to the other ones? Or are they all the same source despite their differences?

  • @Vaticiangovofficial1130
    @Vaticiangovofficial1130 Před 2 měsíci

    Where did you get your second Bicorn you wore that was plain black, that you showed how officers would wear it front to back? I'm doing a US Officer from the War of 1812 Impression and need something like that.

  • @danielprates2208
    @danielprates2208 Před 6 měsíci +2

    What the hell a HAT HISTORIAN?! CZcams has all sorts of content, one cant complain.

  • @daviddunn1377
    @daviddunn1377 Před 3 měsíci

    What's curious to me is that these hats seem impractical. I would expect all hats to derive from practical use and then become modified as fashion or styles change.

  • @spacemanspiff3052
    @spacemanspiff3052 Před 5 měsíci

    I believe the Catholic Knights of Columbus still wear a Bicorn facing front to back at formal events.

  • @PureDWhiteCloud
    @PureDWhiteCloud Před 2 lety +1

    That was Interesting!

  • @greyvr4336
    @greyvr4336 Před rokem

    This was fascinating. Have you done the garrison side cap? What about the peaked cap? That might be under shako or chapeau or kepi, I haven't watched those yet. Perhaps the Matador's hat? (Montera?)

  • @robnewman6101
    @robnewman6101 Před 6 měsíci +1

    Wellington.

  • @josephjohnson3073
    @josephjohnson3073 Před 7 měsíci

    Also worn as a part of the, until very recently, uniform of the Catholic fraternal order, the Knights of Columbus (Fourth Degree) and the Masonic Knights Templar.

  • @willfox1037
    @willfox1037 Před 6 měsíci

    No mention of the Guardia Civil patent leather bicorn?

  • @gregcampwriter
    @gregcampwriter Před 27 dny

    When I think of bicorns, I think of Captain Aubrey.
    Confusion to Old Boney!

  • @billbright1755
    @billbright1755 Před 6 měsíci

    A unicorn hat might suffice in a pinch.

  • @Leonard-lr6lb
    @Leonard-lr6lb Před 5 měsíci

    Lord Nelson wore this hat too.

  • @panelvixen
    @panelvixen Před 6 měsíci

    They´re coming to take me away,
    Haha, they´re coming to take me away,
    Ho ho, hee hee, ha ha,
    To the funny farm
    Where life is beautiful all the time
    And I´ll be happy to see
    Those nice young men
    In their clean white coats
    And they´re coming to take me AWAY,
    HA HAAAA
    -Napoleon the XIV

  • @colefriel3171
    @colefriel3171 Před 11 měsíci +1

    Ah! A fellow Missourian?

  • @EvanEverhart911
    @EvanEverhart911 Před 6 měsíci

    The more pronounced bicorn, not the uniform one, but the unornamented one, is it fur felt, or wool felt, and who is the maker? Its a very handsome hat. When I was a boy, we had a very old gilt braided one in a trunk, with an old naval uniform with some gilt braid. It was a tailed coat, with a waistcoat and breeches and old patent shoes eith big gold buckles. My Uncle absconded with it, unfortunately. His daughter later informed me that he apparently sold it to a costumer. What a shame and a loss..... Anyway, Ive always been rather keen on having such a hat. Please inform. Ive been enjoying yr videos, having recently discovered yr channel. Thank you!

    • @hathistorianjc
      @hathistorianjc  Před 6 měsíci +1

      It was made by a guy called Mike Macy, but he seems to have stopped selling them as I can't find him online... I'll look again just to be sure. But you can sometimes find them at reenactment sites, they should be able to make them for you. You can also try the jacket shop I linked in the description, they sometimes make hats.
      And damn shame about your old hat...

    • @EvanEverhart911
      @EvanEverhart911 Před 5 měsíci

      @@hathistorianjc thank you! And yes, absolute shame. I found out kater from my Cousin, that my Uncle had sold it to a movie costumer....

  • @4Bobay
    @4Bobay Před 6 měsíci

    New subscriber.

  • @francisebbecke2727
    @francisebbecke2727 Před 6 měsíci

    "Next time I'll get it right." supposedly said Napoleon upon his return from Russia.

  • @markus-pg6me
    @markus-pg6me Před 6 měsíci

    Alles sehr schön aber ihre Bildbearbeitung ist übertrieben

  • @Engelhafen
    @Engelhafen Před 5 měsíci

    The Knights of Columbus also wear the bicorn

  • @sameerthakur720
    @sameerthakur720 Před 6 měsíci

    I thought Unicorns were a myth.
    Here you talk about Bicorns.
    So, Nappy used to wear one and fight? Really. No wonder he was defeated.

  • @Sshooter444
    @Sshooter444 Před 6 měsíci

    How about the Spanish? Do they still wear them?

  • @hankskorpio5857
    @hankskorpio5857 Před 5 měsíci

    No sound?

  • @marvwatkins7029
    @marvwatkins7029 Před 6 měsíci

    Oh no J. C.! You forgot about the Knights of Columbus!

  • @amesbancal
    @amesbancal Před 5 měsíci

    Don't forget the nighrcap....