Description:
White/off-white knitted cotton cap or hat with a pink/red design of diamond and triangular shapes around the top and small white pom-pom. 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; Embroidery; polychrome; Wool

Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2003.27.3

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.