In early America a woman thought herself only
partially dressed if she left her home without a covering for her head, even if
it was only a simple white cap. But
hats were considered more than a fashion accessory; they were functional.
photo by Luigi Crespo |
LINEN
CAPS
and cotton kerchiefs were worn for indoor work, such as cooking and cleaning,
but when stepping outside a lady often required greater coverage for sun shade
or warmth, depending on the season. In
that case, she might don a QUILTED HOOD. For shading delicate faces and necks, a wide-brimmed,
flat-crowned STRAW HAT was the
fashion, although not always practical, as it could be swept away with the
slightest of winds. These crowns were typically
so flat, in fact, that some rose only about a half-inch off the brim. They could be worn with the hat brim straight
out; but more often, the brim would be drawn around the face like a bonnet,
tied down with ribbon strings and then fastened under the chin or behind the
head.
Braiding straw for hats such as these became an occupation
of many women and a good means for them to earn, being a task they could pick
up along with their usual domestic chores. Many did a brisk business selling their hats to
local stores. Skilled straw weavers
learned different weaving patterns and the art of wielding a handheld splitting
tool. The finest of these types of straw
hats were woven from imported Leghorn straw.
Ordinary wheat straw produced a coarser finish, yet it served its
purpose just as well.
Straw hats were simply dressed with a band of ribbon
around the crown, but experienced milliners might line the under brim with a
patterned fabric of cotton or silk. For
a more elaborate style, the hat would be covered entirely in silk so as to
disguise the straw and then trimmed with silk or paper flowers and perhaps a delicate
bit of netting. Every season called for
new linings, more elaborate trimmings—silk, crepe, feathers and ribbons.
Felt hats in white or black were made similar to
those of straw. The COCKED HAT was a popular 17th century style and was worn
mostly for traveling or riding. It
looked much like a man’s tricorn with three sides of its brim turned up toward
the crown. The upturned brim might be
trimmed with braid, ribbon or fur and even an elaborate ostrich plume.
Calash |
The CALASH
originated in England, where the latest hairstyles grew so large they created a
demand for bonnets which could cover the head without mussing the coiffure. Calash bonnets were usually made of green silk
stretched over hoops of cane. The fabric
in back of the calash was gathered together and held in place with a button or a
bow. It was drawn up over the head by
the pull of a cord, but when the wearer moved indoors, she could push it off to
fall back in folds like the hood of a calash or gig carriage. The calash was introduced by the Duchess of
Bradford at around 1765 and it remained in fashion throughout the Revolutionary War
until the early 1800s.
Poke Bonnet |
The Federal period brought new styles. The wide-brimmed
hats of the 18th century were replaced with close-fitted bonnets, one of the
most popular being the POKE BONNET. Though the style was not entirely new, it
came into widespread popularity during this time as being the most engaging of
ladies’ hats and boasted a stiff, projecting brim that surrounded the face like
a funnel and was tied in a wide bow under the chin with its ribbon straps.
The COAL
SCUTTLE BONNET was tied in the same way but had a shorter brim and the hat was
shaped like that of a coal scuttle. TURBANS, adorned with ostrich plumes,
pearls and pins, also came into fashion but were not very long-lived. The BONAPARTE HAT was helmet-shaped and trimmed with a laurel wreath. At times, it would be worn cocked to one side.
Millinery Shop |
These are just some of the more popular hats of
early America. Of course, like in our modern
times, new styles developed and changed frequently as many local village
milliners copied the fashions of Boston, New York, London and Paris.
Lisa Norato is the multi-published author of Prize of My Heart, an inspirational, seafaring historical from
Bethany House, set during the Federal era. A life-long New Englander, Lisa lives in a historic village with
homes and churches dating as far back as the eighteenth century.
Interesting. Not sure about that Calash hat. LOL I like the Poke Bonnet; it's cute.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. God bless.
Thanks for reading, Debbie. Fashion could get crazy even back then. God's blessings on you, too! I hope you have a wonderful day.
ReplyDeleteThanks for such an interesting and well researched post, Lisa. My mother made stunning hats to wear with the clothes she sewed in an era when hats still considered essential to complete an outfit.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Janet! I find it amazing and wonderful that your mother made hats; what a talent! It doesn't seem to be an easy thing to do. Hats made the outfit!
DeleteWow, what a great post, Lisa!!! Thanks for all the work you put into this article for CQ. A definite keeper and reference piece. At colonial Williamsburg the other day )(where they always have the beribboned straw hats on sale) I couldn't help but think that they are not flattering for the more mature woman. But young ladies sure look cute in them and the little girls!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Carrie! Glad you enjoyed the article and find it worthy of a "keeper.":) You are so blessed to live near Williamsburg. I'd love to go there one day. I did visit once but very, very briefly. I agree that hats are more flattering to the younger women.
DeleteWow, those were a lot of hats!! LOL Thanks for popping by my blog last week. :-)
ReplyDeleteHi, Jessica! Thanks so much for reading my post. It was my pleasure to visit your blog last week. And thanks for visiting CQ. Have a great day!
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You know, Lisa... I never knew the name of that giant hat for ladies with big hairdos. Incredible. Try keeping that thing under control in a light breeze, much less a good wind! Thanks for such a tidy lesson on headwear!
ReplyDelete