Women's Hats and Accesories in Colonial Times

by Tamera Lynn Kraft

In Colonial America, well-dressed women had a variety of accessories.

Head-coverings: One of the main accessories was the hat. No decent woman would be seen in public unless her hair was up and she had some kind of head covering. Later in American history, women's hats become elaborate, but colonial hats were simple. Colonial women wore three types of head coverings.

Caps: Caps were practical colonial head wear worn by women and children. Caps kept hair clean so it didn't have to be washed as often, and it covered the hair so women didn't have to worry about styling their hair. The cap was made of linen, cotton, or lace and had lace or ruffles sewn on the edge for decoration. If a woman went out in public, she would wear a hat on top of her cap.

Mob Caps: Mob caps became popular in the 1730s and were worn in some form into the next century. A mob cap had a puffed crown placed high on the back of the head, a deep flat border surrounding the face, and side pieces carried down like short lappets, which could be left loose, pinned, or tied under the chin. The flat border usually was frilled or had lace.

 Hats: Every colonial woman had a hat to protect her head out in the sun. It was also considered improper not to wear a hat in public even if she had a cap on her head. The fancier hats were very shallow, and had a flat crown and a wide brim. Most hats were usually made out of chips and straw and would sometimes be covered with cloth.

Riding Hats: Women's riding hats were often made out of felt and would be made similar to a man's riding hat.

Mitts: Mitts were elbow length fingerless gloves worn summer and winter. Winter mitts were made out of wool or heavier fabric. Summer mitts were usually made out of cotton. They were usually embroidered for decoration.

Muffs: Muffs were used to keep the hands warm during the winter and were made out of fur, cloth, or feathers, and were usually padded.

Shoes: Shoes were made of silk fabrics, worsteds, or leathers. Sometimes they would have a small heel. They would fasten by buckles, clasps, or ties.

Sleeve Ruffles: Sleeve ruffles, either plain or lace, were attached to the end of a woman's sleeves. This protected the ruffles for when the woman went out in public so they wouldn't be damaged in daily housework and chores. Some ruffles had lace on the edge.

Pockets: Colonial pockets were two pouches strung on a waistband, and tied around the waist, and worn inside the petticoat. They were not sewn into the dress. Skirts and petticoats were sewn with side slits to access the pockets. Although some women carried handbags, most would keep their valuables in in pockets.

Tamera Lynn Kraft has always loved adventures and writes Christian historical fiction set in America because there are so many adventures in American history. She has received 2^nd place in the NOCW contest, 3^rd place TARA writer’s contest, and was a finalist in the Frasier Writing Contest. Her novellas Resurrection of Hope and A Christmas Promise are available on Amazon and at Barnes and Noble.

Cap - Most of the time women wore a simple cap made of linen or cotton. The cap was easy to manage and kept the woman's hair from getting dirty. Caps were sometimes very simple, but could also be dressed up with lace. Women wearing colonial era hats Three styles of hats (the cap is shown in the middle) Photo by Ducksters Hat - Women almost always wore hats when they were outside in order to protect their skin from the sun. Hats could be made of straw, silk, or felt and may be decorated with various items such as ribbons, flowers, and feathers. Mob cap - A mob cap was a larger version of the cap that covered the hair and had frilly edges that surrounded the face. It was sometimes called a "bonnet."

Read more at: http://www.ducksters.com/history/colonial_america/womens_clothing.php
This text is Copyright © Ducksters. Do not use without permission.

Cap - Most of the time women wore a simple cap made of linen or cotton. The cap was easy to manage and kept the woman's hair from getting dirty. Caps were sometimes very simple, but could also be dressed up with lace. Women wearing colonial era hats Three styles of hats (the cap is shown in the middle) Photo by Ducksters Hat - Women almost always wore hats when they were outside in order to protect their skin from the sun. Hats could be made of straw, silk, or felt and may be decorated with various items such as ribbons, flowers, and feathers. Mob cap - A mob cap was a larger version of the cap that covered the hair and had frilly edges that surrounded the face. It was sometimes called a "bonnet."

Read more at: http://www.ducksters.com/history/colonial_america/womens_clothing.php
This text is Copyright © Ducksters. Do not use without permission.

Cordwainers and Cobblers

If ever I Saint Crispin’s day forget

may my feet be never free from wet,

But ev’ry dirty street and lane pass through

Without one bit of sole to either shoe.

        Saint Crispin is the commonly recognized patron saint of shoemakers, though there have been others. Since medieval times, October 25 has been celebrated as St. Crispin's Day feast day and the shoemakers’ holiday. Boot and shoemakers would close their shops on this day in celebration.

        In colonial times, a cordwainer was the name for a shoemaker as opposed to a cobbler, who was a shoe repairer and who had as much as five years less training than a cordwainer. Cobblers were often prohibited by law from making shoes.
        Shoemakers had arrived in Jamestown, VA, by 1607, and were flourishing by 1616.

        Christopher Nelme, a British shoemaker, was the first known shoemaker to arrive in America, which he did in 1619. In Plymouth, the first shoemakers to follow the trade there arrived in 1629.    
        Before leaving England, each colonist was allotted four pairs of leather shoes called “Well-Neat Leather” shoes. Working shoes were fully welted and made from heavy leather on the top and bottom.


Lady's shoe (Los Angeles Museum of Art)

        The earliest shoes did not have buckles but were secured with overlapping straps. They were made on straight form, which means that there was not right or left shoe, and a shoe could be worn on either foot. To ensure an even wear and to make the shoes last longer, men and women would shift the shoes from one foot to the other.
        Boot making was the most sophisticated and prestigious branch of the trade. By tradition, the making of boots and shoes for men and the making of shoes for women were separate pursuits. Dancing shoes had lighter soles and were usually made out of material.
        The shoemaker’s tool kit included items with names such as “helling sticks,” “petty-boys,” and “St. Hugh’s Bones.”

There’s an interesting story about St. Hugh, a prince of Britain in 300 AD, who fell on hard times and became a shoemaker who preached the gospel. He fell in love with a woman who was arrested and condemned to death for her devotion to God. He too was condemned because of his association with her. It is said that his fellow shoemakers held a vigil while he was made to drink poison. He was so destitute, all he had to leave were his bones. After his death, his friends pulled his body from the gibbet and distributed his bones. These were made into shoemaking tools. Hence, the name “St. Hugh’s Bones."
        Cordwainers in New England set up small shops, sometimes in their homes, where they made shoes on request. For custom made shoes, models were made of people’s feet. These models, called lasts, were carved out of wood and kept for subsequent shoe orders. Large plantations usually had a shoemaker to maintain the families’ shoes.

Cordwainer's tools
(The Trade Museum of Suhlendorf)

        Cobblers travelled from town to town, exchanging shoe repair for room and board, and circulating news and gossip. They sometimes used a unique shoemaker’s lamp, an oil lamp with water-filled globes that amplified the light at the work area.

Susan F. Craft

I am a historical fiction writer with a novel, The Chamomile, released in November 2011. The Chamomile won the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Okra Pick Award. I'm represented by Hartline Literary Agency