Millinery Ostrich Feathers, 1900-1915

By the early 20th century, demands for feathers and other bird parts as fashionable decorations for women's hats helped spur the decline of bird populations. Several species became extinct. Many well-to-do women rallied with conservationists to protect birds, refusing to wear hats with bird plumage and urging the passage of strict regulatory laws. The U.S. Congress passed the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in 1918.