Coif
1600-1625 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Like a man's nightcap, a woman's coif was informal headwear. It would have been worn by itself indoors, or underneath a hat in public. In Western Europe it was customary for both men and women to cover their heads outdoors until the 1960s. A hat was an essential part of respectable dress and, from a health perspective, head coverings were considered necessary to protect against chills and disease.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Linen, embroidered with linen thread and edged with bobbin lace |
| Brief description | Woman's coif of linen whitework, English, 1600-25 |
| Physical description | A whitework coif; linen worked with white linen thread in chain and ladder stitch, French knots, cutwork. Edged with bobbin lace |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Bequeathed by Miss C. M. Slee |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Like a man's nightcap, a woman's coif was informal headwear. It would have been worn by itself indoors, or underneath a hat in public. In Western Europe it was customary for both men and women to cover their heads outdoors until the 1960s. A hat was an essential part of respectable dress and, from a health perspective, head coverings were considered necessary to protect against chills and disease. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.57-1947 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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