Monday, January 14, 2013

Sweetest Litte Bonnet





From the seller:

An original circa 1855 to 1865 little girl's ivory silk taffeta drawn bonnet with a wired buckram foundation, drawn over cane ribs, with ruffles, a bright pink silk and tulle brim insert, and ribbon accents along the brim. 9" across, 5" deep and 7" tall. Recently de-accessioned from a museum collection, with a 1978 accession numbered tag attached. In presentable as found condition, with some creases to the crown, one broken rib, some spotting from normal use, light wear, most to the tulle, neck curtain and lining, and no chin ties. A hard to come by mid 19th century little girl's drawn silk bonnet

From Me:

CUPCAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;-)

4 comments:

  1. That is darling!! I've never seen a bonnet with sheer "windows" on the outside of the brim, and colored linings are rare, too. (At least on 1860s bonnets.) In shape, this is pre-1860, and possibly pre-1855. There's very little flare to it, and the cheek tabs aren't very pronounced.

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    1. http://content.lib.washington.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/costumehist&CISOPTR=140&CISOBOX=1&REC=5

      You can see a very similar cap on the child above. I also have many other fashion plates that suggest a 1862-1863 date.

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    2. Sorry, should read 1860-1863 date. The lady in this link also wears a very similar hat.

      http://content.lib.washington.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/costumehist&CISOPTR=153&CISOBOX=1&REC=4

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    3. Those are both moderate "spoon" bonnet shapes; you can tell because the sides of the bonnets are slightly concave, cutaway where the ears are, but the top curves forward over the head. The first one, from 1860, is fairly low, but the second is from 1863 and higher.

      This is a "round" bonnet, with a flared brim visible from the back, but no cutaway at the sides. I went and looked more at the Timely Tresses website, since they've done excellent research on 1840s-1860s bonnets and the subtle differences in their shapes, and I think I did put it too early. 1855-1860 is a good range. This is a special and expensive bonnet, made at the height of fashion for a little girl who could only wear it 1 or 2 years.

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