Description:
Woman’s bonnet which illustrates the kinds of fashionable headwear worn by women in the Connecticut River valley in the 1860s. This example features a kidney shaped design (sloping down in front center slightly). Scalloped, tiered straw loops make up the basic bonnet crown, which is trimmed with light green silk velvet. ). Artificial (silk?) flowers decorate the center front of the brim (underneath the flowers is a gridded plastic like material). Inside, the bonnet is lined in buckram and net. Two long green silk ribbon ties each 1 7/8” wide secure the bonnet. Worn by a member of the Hawley family of Farmington and West Hartford, Connecticut.

Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2016.8.2

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.