hard to find and highly collectible c. 1940-48 vintage american "yellow cab" taxi driver cap. retains the original sewn-on fabric tag featuring a knight clad in armor mounted on a horse. fabricated by lancaster, los angeles, ca. the embroidered letter cab driver hat is comprised largely of brightly colored yellow vinyl with black caned trim and glossy patent bill. union badge or button lost long ago. the yellow cab company was founded in chicago in 1914 by john d. hertz and started business in 1915. in 1920 the yellow cab manufacturing company was formed to manufacture taxicabs. during the depression there was considerable illegal activity relating to mobsters and in particular to the chicago outfit. yellow cab was involved in a bitter rivalry with checker taxi at the time which involved a number of shootings, deaths and firebombings. by 1925 the company was a subsidiary of the "chicago yellow cab company”, a public holding company with shares equally divided amongst hertz, parmeleeand a small group of other investors. hertz sold the yellow cab manufacturing company to general motors in 1925. he sold his remaining interest in the yellow cab company in 1929. yellow cab co. (of chicago) was bought by morris markin, who had established checker cab manufacturing company.