18th Century
Women’s Hats

Extant 18th century women’s hats

Colonial Williamsburg 1969-265,1, “woven in an intricate pattern of linked oval medallions enclosed in diamond lozenges which converge at center crown to form a five-pointed star,” worn in England c. 1675-1725; see also Met 1988.342.1a-c

Met 1998.230, wool and silk, Germany, c. 1720-1750

Met 2006.588, silk (covered straw hat?), Italy, c. 1720-1750

MFA 43.1831 and MFA 43.1835, painted straw bergère hats, Switzerland, c. 1730-1800

Colonial Williamsburg 1953-868, horsehair and bast fiber, England, 1745-1775

LACMA M.82.8.8, a bergére in silk, wood, paper, and silk tulle, England, c. 1750

Royal Albert Memorial Museum 28/1969, a bergère hat made of paper with a silk lining, ribbon, and lace trim, England, c. 1750

Met C.I.69.15.1, straw bergére, Britain

MFA 48.1833, straw bergère with straw appliqué, France

MFA 43.1613, silk hat trimmed with straw appliqué, France (?)

Met 13.49.35, Britain

London Museum A12642; “Woman's hat, woven in one piece, of un-dyed split cane lined with silk. The construction of the hat follows basket making techniques, using split cane spokes radiating out from centre top crown. New spokes added at union of c4rown and brim and at the two rows of brim pattern. Underside of hat brim lined with two pieces of cream silk stitched together and the inside of the crown in red silk. Brim edge covered with a red/green silk brocade fabric which includes strips of split cane or straw.”

National Trust 1349841, chip hat with cotton print lining, c. 1750-1760

London Museum A13031, possibly made in Switzerland, c. 1750-1770; “Woman's Bérgère-style flat straw hat with shallow crown, wide brim and trimmed with plait of straw braid around crown; painted yellow except inside crown.”

V&A T.90-2003, Britain, c. 1750-1770; “feathers of common origin, such as those from cocks or guinea fowl, dyed in a variety of colours for a vivid effect.” A similar hat is worn by a girl in V&A 833-1873 (“Head of a Girl Wearing a White Hat” by William Hoare) and A School for Girls by Philip Mercier.

V&A 1750-1774, England, c. 1750-1774: “Woman’s hat of woven straw, covered with black silk taffeta and lined with white silk. The sides of the crown are of black ribbed silk.”

MFA 38.1328, English or French straw hat, c. 1750-1775

Met 1984.140, raffia hat trimmed with silk, Britain, c. 1760; good detail of the inside of the hat, where the ribbons are attached

Paris Galliera 1994.234.3, c. 1760-1770; “Blue silk taffeta, blonde straw, straw lace appliqué”

Colonial Williamsburg 2018-227, a silk-covered straw hat, Europe/England, c. 1760s; “Wide brimmed hat with small, shallow crown of plaited straw. The hat top has been covered in a pattern woven red silk with small floral buds and circles halved by two different patterns within the shape resembling stylized acorns in groups of three. At the crown, the silk appears to have been gathered and sewn at the top, after which a circular 4.25 inch piece of the same silk was attached with the raw edges turned under to create the finished appearance. Around the perimeter of the hat crown is a length of cream silk plain woven ribbon gathered and made into 10 loops with a bow at back. The underside of the hat is covered in a cream plain woven silk. The interior crown, the construction work is exposed, showing the cream silk cut into eight points and adhered to the straw. This was probably covered with an additional circle of silk to conceal the construction details and provide a cleaner, more finished final product. At either side of the interior crown are a pair of 2 inch wide plain woven cream silk ties. Each ribbon measures 15 inches long but may have been shortened over time.”

V&A T.62-1934, “Straw hat trimmed with figured silk and lace, made in England, 1760s.”

V&A 158-1865, Italy or England, 1760s; “embroidered with straw-work flowers on crown and around brim; wreath of straw flowers around crown”

Met 1997.369, made of paper, straw, silk, and linen, Britain, c. 1760-1770

Colonial Williamsburg 1970-104, England, silk over straw, c. 1760-1785

Mint 2006.10A-B, a silk velvet hat with an ostrich plume and a cut steel hat pin, c. 1770

London Museum A21360, c. 1775-1780; “The straw hat, within the silk covering has crumbled, distorting the shape. No trimmings on the silk. Professionally made?”

V&A 157-1865, straw hat trimmed with straw sheet and straw thread appliqué around the edge of the brim and crown, made in Great Britain or Italy, c. 1775-1800

Met 2009.300.5509, cotton, silk, and linen, European, c. 1780

MFA 99.664.38, straw hat covered in silk with cotton net trim, American, late 18th century to early 19th century

Dutch women’s straw hats

Note the use of fabric (often chintz) lining on the interior only, and (in some cases) a D-shape to the brim.

Christie’s Lot 320, Sale 5422, a fine straw and chintz hat, D-shaped chipstraw lined with a red chintz print and wrapping over to the brim

Met C.I.45.2

V&A IS.23-1976, a piece of chintz used to line a wide-brimmed straw hat worn by the women of Friesland

Meg Andrews 7120, a straw hat lined with chintz, Zeeland, 1780s