1870s-1880s. Blue straw capote (bonnet) made of a narrow braid sewn to itself as it coils out from center back to form the bonnet. Wire reinforces the perimeter, which is enclosed with a deep blue vel..
1870s-1880s. Blue straw capote (bonnet) made of a narrow braid sewn to itself as it coils out from center back to form the bonnet. Wire reinforces the perimeter, which is enclosed with a deep blue velvet fabric ruched or gathered to edge the entire bonnet. More velvet swoops in folds from the bottom right of the narrow brim to the top of the head and arches to the back of the crown where it is sewn down with its raw edge hidden between the straw braid coils. Blue feathers shaped into balls or pom-poms are attached where the brim joins the crown. Blue silk ribbon is tied into a bow and sewn behind the feathers. More ribbon is incorporated into the decoration at the sides and is released to form the bonnet ties. The brim is lined in the same blue velvet, the crown is lined with black glazed cotton finished in back with a hem forming a channel for a silk ribbon, along which the lining is gathered to an opening that reveals the milliner’s label stamped in gold on white silk at the back panel of the bonnet. Professionally made. Hand-sewn.
The Irma G. Bowen Historic Clothing Collection digital catalog was produced by the UNH Library Digital Collection Initiative, supported in part by a grant from the Mooseplate program and New Hampshire..
The Irma G. Bowen Historic Clothing Collection digital catalog was produced by the UNH Library Digital Collection Initiative, supported in part by a grant from the Mooseplate program and New Hampshire State Council on the Arts. Additional funding provided by the E. Ruth Buxton Stephenson Memorial Fund.
