A poke bonnet (sometimes also referred to as a Neapolitan bonnet or simply as a poke) is a women's bonnet, featuring a small crown and wide and rounded front brim. Typically this extends beyond the face. It has been suggested that the name came about because the bonnet was designed in such a way that the wearer's hair could be contained within the bonnet. Poke may also refer to the brim itself, which jutted out beyond the wearer's face.

Characteristics

There were many variations of the style, which remained popular throughout much of the 19th century. The

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

notes that the poke usually had a small crown combined with a large brim extending beyond the face, providing a large surface for decoration. This prominent brim shaded the face and, over time increased in size so that the wearer's face could only be seen from the front. Typically, the bonnet would be secured by ribbons tied under the chin, which might also wrap around the bottom of the bonnet's crown, similar to a hatband. An 1830s version of the poke bonnet with ornate ribbon wrapping forms part of the

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archive.

History of the design

The poke bonnet came into fashion at the beginning of the 19th century. It is first mentioned in an 1807 fashion report in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

''; the report describes designs made of

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velvet Velvet is a type of woven fabric with a dense, even pile (textile), pile that gives it a distinctive soft feel. Historically, velvet was typically made from silk. Modern velvet can be made from silk, linen, cotton, wool, synthetic fibers, silk ...

with long ribbons and full bows on one side of the hat. By the 1830s, Englishwomen had adopted the poke bonnet. The new styles became widely popular and made the aristocracy less visibly distinct from the so-called respectable middle classes. The style is modest and was in line with English fashions after the ascension of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

.Metropolitan Museum of Art
Mourning Poke Bonnet Collection
A poke bonnet features prominently in the illustrations of

Beatrix Potter Helen Beatrix Heelis (; 28 July 186622 December 1943), usually known as Beatrix Potter ( ), was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist. She is best known for her children's books featuring animals, such as '' ...

's '' Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck''. Another appears in the

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-era music hall song "In your little poke bonnet and shawl".

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=April 2017 Bonnets (headgear) 19th-century fashion Hats

Characteristics

History of the design

See also

References