Bonnet Veil
1860s (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Straw is surprisingly versatile and makes attractive decoration. This veil would have been a very suitable and charming trimming for a straw bonnet of the period. The small semi-circular veil of black machine-made net is sprinkled with petite flower heads of stamped out straw, each with a black glass bead in the centre. Four three-dimensional bees made of straw veneer, black silk thread, beads and straw thread highlight the decoration. The straw motifs were probably made in Switzerland. Swiss straw products became more decorative from the 1840s, and all sorts of motifs were punched from straw sheets using custom-made dies.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Machine net and lace, decorated with straw work and glass beads |
| Brief description | Bonnet veil of net and lace, veil made in France, straw decoration probably made in Switzerland, 1860s |
| Physical description | Small, semi-circular veil of black machine net with an added, open-work machine lace border. Along the straight upper edge is an added edging to take a draw string. The entire veil is embellished with tiny flower heads of cut straw, each with a black bead in the middle. Four three-dimensional bees made of straw veneer, black silk, straw thread and glass beads also decorate the veil; three are placed in the border and one in the centre. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Mrs K. Prater |
| Historical context | France was the leading manufacturer of straw-decorated objects until the mid-nineteenth century. |
| Production | Straw decoration probably Swiss made |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Straw is surprisingly versatile and makes attractive decoration. This veil would have been a very suitable and charming trimming for a straw bonnet of the period. The small semi-circular veil of black machine-made net is sprinkled with petite flower heads of stamped out straw, each with a black glass bead in the centre. Four three-dimensional bees made of straw veneer, black silk thread, beads and straw thread highlight the decoration. The straw motifs were probably made in Switzerland. Swiss straw products became more decorative from the 1840s, and all sorts of motifs were punched from straw sheets using custom-made dies. |
| Bibliographic reference | Persson, Helen. 'Straw - the Blond Goddess: The Adaptation of Folk Tradition to Fashion' in Costume, no 38, 2004, pp. 50-62. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.772-1972 |
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| Record created | August 19, 2002 |
| Record URL |
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