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.

Ladies Hatwear in Early America

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 17^th 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.

Dress, Shoes, and Stays - Oh My!

Lately I've had to make the leap in time from colonial fashion to early 19th-century fashion in the new novel I'm writing. Believe me, it's a tricky transition! Though Regency era clothing is lovely in some respects, my heart has always been at home with 18th-century fashions. My love affair with colonial dress began early. When I was a girl, my Kentucky granny sewed me a linen costume much like these above, complete with ivory apron, cap, and fichu, only my dress was burgundy. I loved it and wore it in the 1776 bicentennial parade in Lexington, Kentucky.I also had a love affair with paper dolls. Remember those McCall's magazines that had paper dolls? I awaited my mom's issues every month and cut out those costumes with glee:) When I look back now I see that I was being given inspiration even way back when. Over time I began to long for a "real" colonial gown of my own, a reproduction that would help me identify with the colonial heroines in my books. But these kinds of items are very expensive and I couldn't justify the cost. But, thankfully, the Lord often gives us the desires of our hearts in ways we least expect:) Last October I "stumbled" onto e-bay, a place I'd never been, and found a beautiful period gown. The lace on the gown I bought for a song is over 100 years old. It's made of high quality silk taffeta that rustles when you walk and truly feels like a dream. The seamstress is a colonial artist who sews period gowns for the models who are in her paintings. She was letting some of her gowns go for a very reasonable price and I happened upon this one dress right after she posted it for sale.
It didn't take long for me to discover you're only half-dressed for colonial times when you only have the dress. But stays - oh my! Almost as expensive as a gown! This photo shows "jumps" instead of stays. Anyone want to explain the difference? I'm still saving my shillings for stays.

Next item needed was a shift. I ordered this one. The feel of this linen shift is so different than cotton and gives a wonderful glimpse into the undergarments or "small clothes" people wore then. The stays go on over the shift, if you're wondering. I won't even begin to talk about pocket hoops and petticoats;)

This hat is from the Colonial Williamsburg collection and is my favorite. The needlework is exquisite, don't you think?
These complete a woman's wardrobe - clocked stockings and buckles and shoes. No, they're not mine but I can dream, can't I? All that's missing are the garters. My favorite thing about the colonial period? No underpants!

What fashion era do you like best?