Bonnet

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In the beginning of the nineteenth century, the highly embellished silhouette of the late eighteenth century gave way to a straighter, simpler silhouette inspired by antiquity. However, ladies still preferred millinery designs that featured frills, and during the first decade of the nineteenth century, there were endless variations of bonnets offered for ladies to wear. The voluminous elaborate style of a hat such as this one was worn with the columnar cotton and linen dresses fashionable during the period. Perhaps the general height and volume of the hat balanced out the slim shape of the silhouette.

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