Bonnet
1920-1929 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
'Blue for a boy; pink for a girl' is a comparatively modern idea, and there seems to be no agreement on how or when the tradition arose. Blue was regarded as a protective colour from ancient times onward, and its use as an amulet could be extended to any prized asset. As male heirs were generally preferred, they were considered more in need of protection. Pink may have been considered a suitable colour for girls as a contrast, when there was a certain amount of feeling against green and even yellow for use in children's clothing. In some European countries, blue is a colour associated with the Virgin Mary, and thought appropriate for girls; pink is then for boys, and may be considered as a shade of red, sometimes associated with St Joseph.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Hand-embroidered silk crepe, lace and silk |
| Brief description | Baby's bonnet of embroidered pink silk trimmed with lace; Hungary, 1920-1929 |
| Physical description | Baby's bonnet of pale pink silk crepe with a lining of pale pink silk. The bonnet has a circular crown piped in matching silk crepe, and is trimmed with lace insertion and hand embroidered sprays of flowers in pink silks. The edges are trimmed with a frill of scalloped lace over a pleated lace-edged flounce of pink crepe, and the front edge with a wired band of flowers made from matching silk ribbon. The bonnet fastens beneath the chin with a looped tying string of pale pink satin ribbon. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Ilona Hirsch |
| Object history | One of several garments bought by the donor, Ilona Hirsch, in a baby clothes shop in Budapest as 'antique', when she was expecting her 1st child in 1943, and baby clothes were in very short supply. She commented that she did not realise then how impractical they were: they were not used for any of her children, Wanda (b.24/03/1944), Beatrix (b.04/05/1945) or Tomas (b.30/10/1948) |
| Production | Hungary |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | 'Blue for a boy; pink for a girl' is a comparatively modern idea, and there seems to be no agreement on how or when the tradition arose. Blue was regarded as a protective colour from ancient times onward, and its use as an amulet could be extended to any prized asset. As male heirs were generally preferred, they were considered more in need of protection. Pink may have been considered a suitable colour for girls as a contrast, when there was a certain amount of feeling against green and even yellow for use in children's clothing. In some European countries, blue is a colour associated with the Virgin Mary, and thought appropriate for girls; pink is then for boys, and may be considered as a shade of red, sometimes associated with St Joseph. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | B.382-1993 |
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| Record created | April 19, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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