Featured Linen Bonnet Help Please

Hi, a neighbor asked me to sell this for her and I was hoping for some help...

Am I right, it is Linen?
Is there anything that points to when it was made?
Is there a name for the work on the brim?

Let me know if you need to see more photos.

Thanks so much for any help

 

I can't help but, oh, that's lovely!

Linda

 

It looks like linen, but may be combined with raw silk?


I think it is linen

 

I was looking for info on snoods, but those appear to be more open. (Crochet)
I think what you may have is a Civil War or slightly later Day Cap.

 

Adult or infant size??? BEAUTIFUL!!!!

 

Unfortunately I can only 'like' it once. I really love it.
@Northern Lights Lodge ?

 

I think it's beautiful. A sun bonnet? Just the look of the thick and thin threads in the cap make me think they might be hand spun. I'll be disappointed if any of this turns out to be machine made.

 

Thank you everyone

I think it is a small adult size, too large for an infant.

 

The band along the front edges looks odd to me, like a commercial machine woven elastic trim. Hard to tell from here, though. Did your neighbor provide any background for the cap - where she got it, or how long it has been in the family?

 

Lovely! And appears to be in excellent condition with no staining. Is it all hand stitched? Any sign that ribbons would have been attached?

Debora

 

Lovely!
I'd like to see a photo of the inside, including a shot of how the circular back piece is sewn/attached. Also, close-ups of the undersides of the trims, and hems. Construction techniques can often be good clues.

How long has the neighbor had it and where did he/she get it from?

 

I'm curious about the construction as well. That openwork piece in the front appears to be crudely sewn onto the body of the cap and the outside piece of trim, as 2manybooks noted, seems totally different. Sorry to be a wet blanket.

 

I will get more photos up by tomorrow

There is a little stain on the trim on the front, I'll show that also.

This friend and her DH are the only people in their families who care about "old stuff" so just about everything came to them. Sometimes my friend knows who owned an item, sometimes not but I will double check with her on this.

 

following..

 

Wondering if whoever owned it originally, might have bought (mail order back in the day??) the decorative front piece and hand made the functional 'bonnet' piece??? JUST SO BEAUTIFUL!!! Which might be why you see it hand stitched on to the 'bonnet' (?) piece????

 

So very beautiful. Reminds me of civil war head coverings. Maybe used for confirmation. Just my opinion

 

Think back in the day, most women made their own items. You can see the hand stitching.
The "lace" almost looks like tatting, but this isn't my area, so I could be wrong.

 

It looks like tatting to me, too, Cluttered.

@ulilwitch , I have one similar to the one you posted, perhaps it is not as fancy. I believe mine to be Civil War era, I can post it later to show you.

The whole thing looks much like a handwoven, decorated cloth napkin to me. I don't ever remember seeing this style as made in the USA, but rather from a country like the Ukraine.

@Marie Forjan , would you please take some photos of the interior construction for us?

 

OK, I am back with more photos...there is some staining, you can see some of it in this first photo.

Close up of the brim from the outside:


Close up of the brim folded over to see both sides:


Flattened out showing the inside of the brim and the outside of the back. Note the ribbon tied in the back center to tighten the bonnet under a women's hair:


The inside showing where the brim is attached to the bonnet:


This is the back turned inside out:


I have all these photos as high res so if there is a section of any white that needs to be shown in close up let me know.

I spoke to my friend who is in her 80s. She said things are a bit sketchy, everything old in both hers and DH's families came to them as no one else wanted them. Most were not labeled in any way. But she believes this belonged to her great, great grandmother. I asked her if it is possible that would date it to the Civil War era, she said yes, it's possible.

I tried to call her back to ask more questions but had to leave a message. The family lived in New England, New Hampshire I think, but I will find out. I will ask if it would be possible they had any connection to Eastern Europe or the Ukraine.

 

It definitely looks handmade! &SWEET!! Thanks for the extra shots!