1840's Original Coal Scuttle Bonnet
Back, view of molded tip.
Detail of trim at the join of crown and tip
Detail of bias trim at the brim edge.
Detail of gauging on upper edge of the curtain.
Detail of Brim Point showing bias trim and curtain attachment.
Detail of the curtain lining
Detail of the straw plait covering tip/crown join.
Detail of brim interior edge showing cane trim
This face-hiding bonnet is wired buckram covered in black silk taffeta. The trim consists of 3" wide taffeta ribbon and bias strips of self-fabric.
Bias strips are sewn in place under the silk cover fabric using 1.5 inch long stitches. The fabric covering the body of the bonnet is not stitched down at the tip join. There is nothing between the buckram and the covering fabric. Period buckram is much finer than the modern weight equivelant and does not show through the silk as modern buckram would.
This shows the buckram inside the brim, the very thin silk that was pleated in as brim lining and the cane that was used to cover the outer edge of the brim lining. It was not covered by fabric. You can also see the outer fabric was brought under the edge of the brim and secured without folding the raw edge under. It was hidden by the brim lining. The tie is attached at the brim point.
The bonnet form is constructed of 3 pieces of buckram of the same weight, similar to a modern medium-weight buckram. The tip is molded in a dome shape, the crown and brim sections are cut flat and stitched together. Barely visible in this photo is the strip of straw plait used to cover the join between the tip and the crown. The headliner is a bias-cut strip of stiffened open-weave cotton similar to scrim.
The cotton netting was originally white.
