published by J. Robins & Co, published in The Ladies’ Pocket Magazine
hand-coloured etching
NPG D47555
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Have you ever wished for a lovely hat or two, like women wore in the 1800s? I know I have! There are some absolutely stunning creations, and it’s interesting how hats evolved over the years.
While hats were practical for reasons such as they’d protect the wearer from the sun or dust, hold their hair in place, or keep them warm, they were also fashion accessories, that, just like we have today, reflected personal taste, fashion trends, or allowed the wearer to be modestly or properly dressed in situations. Of course, back in the 1800s, a woman wearing a hat was far more critical than it is today, as going without one was considered to be indecent.
Throughout the 1800s, as fashions changed so did the hat styles. One thing that didn’t change, however, was that they were able to be personalized to the wearer’s preferences in decoration, such as colors, ribbons, flowers, material, and even the shape or size.
Just what were some of these lovely head coverings? In no particular order, I’ll talk about a few of them.
A poke bonnet might have been made of willow or fabric, and allowed for a wonderful amount of shade for a woman’s face. The deep design also gave her the ability to wear her hair tucked inside. (Bad hair day? Total coverage!)
For those who wanted to be the very height of fashion, turbans were quite popular for a time, influenced by Orientalism. These were sometimes plain fabric, other times including the addition of a feather or jewel.
As the 1800s progressed, hats and bonnets became smaller. That allowed more of the hair to be shown and accessorized. As women participated in more sporting activities, they adopted the boater style hat.
Boaters were flat topped, brimmed, and made of straw. These were popular for informal wear. But one of my favorite hats styles is the Gainsborough hat. These hats were named after the artist Thomas Gainsborough, and were large, wide brimmed hats often covered in ribbons and flowers or feathers.
While I don’t have a book where a hat is really featured, I would love to give one reader a copy of the first book in my series: The Gunslinger.
To have a chance at winning, just tell me: There are so many hat styles, do you have a favorite one or one that you wear often?
Sarah is wife to an amazing teacher and mom to two boys who are growing up just a little too fast. She spends her days working and writing in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.
While I think hats are pretty and useful, I don’t wear them.
I don’t too often either, unless I will be in the sun for a long time.
I think there are many pretty hats and they are even helpful to some, however I Can’t wear hats. It aggravates my migraines.
Ohhh no!! I’m so sorry. It doesn’t take much to trigger one if you are prone to them. I have my list too 🙁
Good morning Sarah! I have a few ball caps, a couple of visors, and a few straw hats. I like the straw hats and I change out the color bands on them to wear with my outfits! Ha! Mainly I wear them when going to the beach or out by the pool and sometimes when I go putt putt golf with my 11 year old grandson. The ball caps are when I’m in my yard. Or during a Florida Gator game.
So, what type of hat do you wear Sarah?
OH what a great idea, to change out color bands! I will use a straw hat or a visor when I’ll be outside for a long time, to try and keep some of the heat and sun off of me. I burn super quick!
I have always loved my cowboy hat
That’s a classic hat right there!
Only a hat in winter if very cold – wore a cowboy hat for years when showing horses – had to be careful though as had to fit tight enough to not fly off at a canter, but if too tight it gave me headaches!
I didn’t think about that…you would be a fine line with the tightness!
I made a hat like you described from the early 1800’s. I can not get the camera and the computer to talk to each other or I would post a photo.
It took several months to complete working on it in my spare time.
Darn! If you are able to figure it out, in the Facebook group, I posted the link. Maybe it would let you put it there. I bet you did a stunning job!
no fav
That’s okay! I’m glad you stopped by though!
I really want to like hats but am not comfortable wearing one. A bowler hat would be mine of choice.
Ohh those look cute!
I don’t wear hats unless I’m going to be outside a long time to keep my scalp from burning. I have painter cap for that. Of course I have a winter stocking cap when I go out then.
Yes! Hats in the winter really help to stay warm!
I love to wear a baseball cap on the weekends when I just don’t feel like messing with my hair. When I was younger, I wore a cowboy hat when working cattle or in rodeo parades where I rode my horse. My grandma always wore a bonnet or straw hat and long sleeves when she was outside. She was almost 92 when she died, and had beautiful skin.
Oh wow! Not many can say that, for age 92!
I have never worn a hat, except when I’m mowing the grass, I wear a wide brimmed straw hat to keep my head cooler.
That’s a good idea!
Good morning, I am not a hat person, I will wear one only if I have to. I enjoyed reading your post. Have a great day.
I admit, I can’t imagine wearing one every day!
Thank you for sharing about hats. I have always loved hats. We lived in Pasadena, CA for the first 8 years of my life. I loved to wear pretty hats to church. When we moved to Apple Valley, CA on our ranch, I got to still wear pretty hats on Sunday and I had a cowboy hat for the rest of time. They wouldn’t let me wear a hat to school. 🙁 But mom helped me with that. She got me another cowgirl hat so I could choose which one one I wanted to wear when. When we moved to IL I still wore hats, even my cowgirl hats. I love broad brimmed hats with flowers and beads on the brim. I don’t really care for baseball hats, but I do have a few.
It sounds like you’ve had a good collection!
I have a straw hat I wear a lot during the summer.
Those can be very useful.
I like hats that keep the sun off my face. They don’t have to be stylish-just be functional
Keeping the sun off is important!
Many women look great in any style hat they wear…I am not one of them. I don’t wear hats. I look awful in hats.
I think we are always more critical of ourselves!
I like to look at hats but I am not a hat person . I l have never worn a hat.
I do love a good hat that will keep the sun off my face. There are so many to choose from now. I usually wear a big brim hat. I loved the history! Thank you.
I like how there are so many choices nowdays!
So many hats, so many styles yet I have never been able to find one that looks decent on me. lol I love how they look on others but not so much on me. I have a small face/head, so guess that is why. Some people can wear any style, just put one on and they look so good. Maybe I just don’t know how to wear them.
Thanks for the great information on hats. I’ve always admired people who can wear them.
I think sometimes we are just more critical of ourselves. I’ve never seen anyone not look cute in a bucket hat!
I don’t wear hats very often,but I wear a baseball cap the most.
Easy to find and good for most anything!
I don’t actually like hats. I do however wear one, a baseball cap, every time I leave the house. The bill keeps my very light sensitive eyes from all the sun (and even hazy skies on cloudy days) from hurting my eyes and to hopefully see where I’m walking. No, sunglasses aren’t enough…..sigh…..
I should try that too. I can’t wear contact lenses like I used to, which means I can’t wear sunglasses as often.
I have enjoyed wearing visors over the years to many of my children’s sporting events. I loved getting a new Easter bonnet every year when I was little. My favorite hat is a little black knit beret that I pull out for the winter.
That sounds like a cute hat!!
I once had a white straw Gaucho style hat with a navy blue ribbon band. I loved that hat. I mostly wore it to church but when it got a little worn looking I wore it working in the yard and garden. Now, I, too, like to wear a cap or wide brimmed hat to keep the sun out of my eyes when working outside.
I bet that was a fantastic hat!
The only time I wear a hat is if I’m going to the beach.
That’s a great time to wear one, with all that sun!
I don’t wear hats. I probably should, but I don’t. It’s too hot in FL for a hat! I do like cowboy hats, but I really don’t like hat hair, either.
I understand! That FL sun is brutal though! Phew!
Actually I loving looking at other Women in hats and how god or not so good they look but I wore a hat once and found out that hats don’t look good on me so I don’t wear hats unless I have to
I bet there’s one out there for you!
I missed the giveaway, but still enjoyed the post. I am not much of a hat wearer. I have hats, but don’t wear them that often. I like the prairie hat style, like the poke hat, it covers bad hair and shades the face. I do have a lovely boater hat. It isn’t quite as boxy as the ones above and has a brim that is a bit wider. These two hats are pretty much for when I am in costume. I do have a straw hat that I wear sometimes when I am working in the garden and one a bit nicer that I wear when walking around when we travel. I have a crusher hat I wear when we go hiking.
My daughter has some lovely hats and wears them well. For the last 15 years or so, she has declared Friday Hat Day. She wears one to work every Friday no matter what is on her schedule.
I enjoyed reading your post and everyone’s comments. Just the other day I saw a picture from the 1940’s where most adults were wearing hats and I was wondering why that trend stopped. It was a nice look. I like big ol’ floppy hats to keep the sun off my face at baseball games and order them from Amazon.