Bonnet

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The use of feathers as a decorative element, rather than as stuffing, is a relatively new idea in the 1870s; by the 1880s the whole bird becomes a prevalent feature. The dark rich colors in a variety of shades echo the upholstered decor of the period. The bonnet features a fine integration of color and ornament, with an excellent example of artistic feather work. The donor, Princess Viggo, was a niece of the Hewitt sisters, Sarah and Eleanor, who were the granddaughters of Peter Cooper and the founders of the Cooper-Hewitt Museum. Peter Cooper (1791-1883) was a prominent New Yorker and founder of the Cooper Union college.

The Costume Institute

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Costume Institute's collection of more than thirty-three thousand objects represents seven centuries of fashionable dress and accessories for men, women, and children, from the fifteenth century to the present.

Metropolitan Museum of Art