#2202   Drawn Bonnet   c. 1830s 

  United States     

Materials: Pale green/gold silk taffeta, silk brocade ribbon, wire and cane frame, stiffened buckram lining, cotton (?) batting in crown.

Provenance: Unknown New England family.

Condition: Excellent, taffeta remarkably strong and clean. Ribbon original but very fragile; bonnet with a couple minor wear spots on the brim edge, 5 small brown stains under ribbon on brim's lower left side and 3 inches of exposed under wire on right side of brim.

Measurements: Crown 5" deep; Brim, 7.25".

Comments: 1830s Bonnets are quite scarce; this is the first one I have seen outside a museum in nearly six years. A bonnet constructed with fabric gathered over a series of canes is called a drawn bonnet. The hand stitching on this example is extremely precise. The green/gold color and the flower pot shape of the crown date this treasure to the later part of the decade, probably c. 1836-1838.