Hats and Bonnets
Subject
Accessories
Title
Hats and Bonnets
Description
Head coverings of some sort, for men, women and children, have been part of human culture for thousands of years. In the United States, women followed the custom of wearing a cap, hat or bonnet in public based on Christian edicts that most scholars believe were grounded in the letters of Paul to the Cortinthians. Other biblical passages address the necessity of women wearing a head covering either in church or at all times. By the 19th century, religious decrees had softened and women were following social convention by wearing hats or bonnets. It had become familiar for women to appear in public with the head covered. Men, too, wore a hat in public, taking it off as a sign of respect when entering a building or in greeting. It's no wonder that the Historic Textile and Costume Collection has a wide range of headwear for men, women and children that dates back to the early 19th century.
This collection continues to be strong through the 1960s. At the end of this decade many people had cast off the use of hats. Fashion historians credit Princess Diana with resurrecting the craze for hats in the 1980s and '90s with her fashionable headwear and fascinators. The Historic Textile and Costume Collection will continue to collect this accessory for future students to study.
This collection continues to be strong through the 1960s. At the end of this decade many people had cast off the use of hats. Fashion historians credit Princess Diana with resurrecting the craze for hats in the 1980s and '90s with her fashionable headwear and fascinators. The Historic Textile and Costume Collection will continue to collect this accessory for future students to study.
Collection Items
Woman's Bonnet
This bonnet is covered in a rich brown silk and has matching ribbons. It has ten channels sewn into the deep brim, through which cane was run, around which the fabric is ruched or shirred. At the lower back is a small curtain called a bavolet that…
Woman's Hat
This hat is reddish-brown velvet with faded green ostrich feathers. Two glass rhinestone buckles are attached to the twisted velvet design. The lining is black and appears to be hand sewn.Velvet bonnets were popular and in the second half of the…
Woman's Bonnet
This is a woman’s bonnet consisting of a woven straw base with a shallow crown and narrow brim that has been folded up in the back. The straw base is covered in a weft-faced, camel/tan colored silk taffeta, multiple layers of black machine-made…
Woman's Bonnet
This dark green velvet bonnet is trimmed with blush pink flowers and buds above the brim. Framing the face is a woven trim of tan chenille yarns mixed with brown metallic yarns. A wide silk bow with picot edging sits atop the bonnet’s crown. The same…
Woman's Riding Hat
This small top hat belonged to a woman or a child, because of its size. It is presumed to be a riding hat made of silk. The inside identifies the hat as manufactured by Knox of New York, and sold by Stove & Fisher, manufacturers and dealers of…
Man's Tall Hat
This artifact is classified as a tall, black, silk top hat; it has a ribbon band with a small bow. On the inside of the hat embossed on the blue silk lining we can see a logo for E.T. & S. Ryder hatters whose premises was located at 60 Fulton…
Woman's Hat
This hat is made of pink straw and is decorated with black velvet ribbons and two large black bird feathers that appear to be wings. The top of the hat features a large black velvet bow. According to Great Grandmothers Clothes: Women’s Fashion in the…
Man's High Black Beaver Hat
This black top hat is made out of beaver. Although top hats were also made from silk at this time, microscopic tests reveal that the fiber is indeed an animal hair fiber, not silk. According to "A Day at a Hat-Factory" published in The Penny Magazine…
Woman's Hat
This black velvet bonnet is decorated with a spray of feathers and covered wire at the top front. Interest also comes from the way the velvet has been folded over the bonnet's frame. Well worn, the accessory would have been held in place with velvet…
Woman's Bonnet
This bonnet is made from a dark red silk velvet with rose-colored, striped silk ribbon ties. It is trimmed with silk brocade ribbons, of a black ground with copper-colored designs, that are folded and pleated across the crown. The inside of the brim…