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Clothing and Accessories
Women's Clothing
Clothing Accessories
Headwear ➔ Hat
Identifier:
136376Description:
This velvet hat has a crown of tulle and artificial; flower accents around the crown. During this time period, women's hats were very elaborate and displayed decorations such as ribbons, feathers, lace, and flowers. This style of hat was mostly likely worn with a hairstyle of large curls or chignons at the neck. This hat may have been worn during a period of mourning. In Victorian society, it was customary to follow a strict etiquette for mourning royalty, political leaders and of course for relatives. This hat is a characteristic example of a key accessory that was required as part of the ritual. The production of mourning clothing was a lucrative business and items like this hat were commonly purchased.The fashion industry had perfected the art of black synthetic dying and so almost any item of clothing or accessories from dresses to headwear or footwear could be purchased in black for mourning. For poorer families, this could be quite a financial burden as it could involve having to purchase a whole new wardrobe. The later stage of the custom, called "half-mourning", would require integrating the colors grey, white and purple into one's wardrobe, indicating the ending phase.
Date:
1860 – 1890Materials:
Velvet, Tulle, Artificial Flowers, Metal FrameDimensions:
7 in" h 19 in" w 19 in" dCurrent Location Status:
In StorageCollection Tier:
Tier 2Source:
Gift Of J. Gordon BoyceRelated Entities:
Loula E. Beecher (creator)Loula E. Beecher was located in Grand Rapids, Michigan and established a millinery shop in the late 1920s. The shop continued to thrive until the 1960s. Mr. J. Gordon Boyce (donor)
Alternate names: J. Gordon Boyce
