1825 / 1830, United Kingdom

1825 / 1830, United Kingdom

Identifier
T.76-1923
Acquisition
Given by C. L. Floris, Esq. in memory of the late Mrs E. J. Floris
Collection
Technique
Depiction
Dimension
23 cm (depth)
34 cm (height)
33.5 cm (width)
Production time
Production place
Type of object

Description

A bonnet of blue silk taffeta, unlined, the crown and brimmed shaped with inserted cane. Trimmed with a bow of blue silk taffeta at the back and top of the crown. The brim is semi-circular in shape and turns upward. The lightweight fabric and upturned, semi-circular brim of this fashionable bonnet are typical of the late 1820s. During this period, many bonnets were unlined and cane was frequently used to shape the brim and crown. This example is trimmed with a single bow at the back of the crown, but would originally have had wide ribbon ties and probably more bows at the base of the brim. All fashionable headwear had to accommodate and accentuate the latest hairstyle. In this bonnet, the upturned brim sat behind a fashionable row of curls on the brow, and the bonnet crown covered the rest of the hair gathered into a bun at the back of the head.