Bonnet
Date1830-1835
OriginEngland (probably)
MediumStraw, silk, iron
DimensionsBrim: 5 in. deep, 17 in. wide; Crown: 19 in. around interior, 6 in. high at center back, 4 1/2 in. tall at center front.
Credit LineMuseum Purchase, The Friends of Colonial Williamsburg Collections Fund
Object number2018-191
DescriptionPlaited straw bonnet with deep crown. Crown is lined with a very open woven stiffened cotton or linen buckrum. A silk covered iron wire, incased in a silk ribbon, is placed around the interior of the crown and the edge of the brim. The brim was made separately and the edge is bound in silk satin, and then sewn onto the crown. The underside of the hat brim and crown is trimmed with brown silk ribbon. Two ties of the same brown silk ribbon are placed on either side of the crown to hold the bonnet in place while wearing.Label TextWomen's hats rarely survive in any condition. The Colonial Williamsburg historic dress collection only has a few hats in its entire collection and none from the 1830s. This is a classic example dating to the early 1830s and fills a major gap within the collection.
