Description:
Polychrome knitted striped cotton cap or hat with a brown pom-pom attached to the top, and the cap done in shades of blues, browns, yellows, and white in a variety of stripes. A piece of paper pinned to inside is inscribed in ink: "Amos Plimpton / nightcap / B 1795 D 1852." Amos Plimpton was the son of Henry Plimpton (1762-1842) and Lois Smith (d.1800) of Medfield, Massachusetts, and married Betsey Fisher (1798-1881) of Medford in 1827. Nightcaps were worn both as fashionable and functional garments because bedchambers were rarely heated to the same degree as other parts of the house. Cotton has the advantage of being unappetizing to moths and being able to be dyed in bright colors that withstand moderate washing.

Subjects:
Textile fabrics; Cotton

Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2003.27.2

Research on objects in the collections, including provenance, is ongoing and may be incomplete. If you have additional information or would like to learn more about a particular object, please email fc-museums-web@fivecolleges.edu.