Toque, black velvet with ostrich feathers, c. 1910-1920, front view

c. 1910-1920. Black velvet toque over buckram and wire, with ostrich plumes.
The brim is narrow with a wired edge, enclosed with gathered velvet wrapping from the exterior to the inside. The crown is flat and oval, with a seam between the top and sides.
A wide piece of silk satin over a wider band of gathered silk chiffon form the toque’s hatband. The silk satin passes through seven oval buckles which are wrapped in silk thread and cord. The buckles are 5.1 cm / 2 in. long and 3.5 cm / 1.5 in. high. The hatband is altogether approximately 10.2 cm / 4 in. wide.
Black ostrich feathers are fasted to the right side, reaching around to the center back of the hat. One feather drapes forward; two additional ones with it have broken off level with the top of the hat.
The velvet enclosing the edge lines the entire brim. The crown is lined with black silk and this is gathered on a ribbon near the top of the crown to fit the seam there. A separate piece of silk lines the top of the crown. 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 State Council on the Arts. Additional funding provided by the E. Ruth Buxton Stephenson Memorial Fund.

Photography copyright, Astrida Schaeffer.