Description:
Woman's calesh-style bonnet made of plaid silk with two black satin ribbons strings, each 3.5" wide, black piping, cotton cording, brown glazed cotton lining, and paper stiffening. By the early 1840s, fashions for women dictated insular styles. Dresses with floor-length, full skirts and long, fitted sleeves kept women covered up. Bonnets were made with projecting brims which, while shielding the wearer from the harmful effects of the sun, also acted like blinders that obscured the wearer’s peripheral vision. The back curtain, known as a bavolet, covered any exposed skin at the back of the neck. This outdoor bonnet was quilted for added warmth during colder months. The bonnet's fine quality plaid silk fabric suggests that it was worn by a wealthy woman.
Subjects:
Textile fabrics; Cotton; glaze (coating by location); Silk Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+V.166 |
