Ladies Bonnet

Some kind of very old ladies bonnet… In amazingly good condition for its age I think? Any idea about age? Thanks everyone.

 

They wore those forever in some parts of the country. Where did you find it? Assume it's machine stitched. What's the fabric? Cotton? It looks like it's gathered in back to accommodate a particular hair style. Would you post another photograph with it on a dimensional object so we can get a better look?

Debora

 

I don’t know the fabric but I would guess cotton from the feel. There is also some white string stitched on the inside in two places. I am assuming that it came from Tennessee or Arkansas along with my great grandmother. If I find a three dimensional object to put it on, I will re-photograph that way. Thanks very much for your reply.

 

Blue gingham, likely home made. Extremely hard to date. Know for certain that it was a great-grans?

Debora

 

There's a surprising amount of these still around.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/698581...how_sold_out_detail=1&ref=nla_listing_details

Debora

 

I see they're usually referred to as a "prairie bonnet" or a "sun bonnet" or a "poke bonnet."

Debora

 

Some history.

https://thelibrary.org/lochist/periodicals/bittersweet/su77e.htm

Debora

 

If I had to guess age, I'd say early 20th century. But I had a friend who's mother was wearing one as late as the mid-1960s.

Debora

 

Good question, I was guessing so, as I have her trunk and the Civil War polyglott Bible that she got from an uncle; it is possible that my grandmother could have sown this but I cannot picture her wearing that, have never seen a photo of her in any such thing, but she was born in the late 1800s and had an old singer treadle machine…

 

Hum. Shame. You may never know. But she saved it then? If so, must have meant something to her.

Debora

 

You’re right, a more 3-D photo will need to be taken sometime as I cannot tell from that article, (and have no experience sowing patterns!), to know which bonnet it represents.

 

May not be "an old lady's" bonnet. These were worn by women of all ages to keep the sun off and be demure. They are still worn in some parts of the country and by some groups.

 

Here in the Netherlands those were called 'harvest bonnets', they were worn for practical reasons while harvesting and other work in the fields.

 

I have several black or mourning print ones in my mourning collection. The earlier ones might actually have baleen stay channels stitched in to retain their shape, later, as the sewing machine became common, cotton cording or quilted channels were used.

 

I have one of those.