Summer Hats – 1792

A woman wears a pink dress with a tight, laced bodice and narrow sleeves trimmed in green at the cuffs. The skirt is long and full and has a band of green at the hem. Her pointed yellow shoe is just visible beneath the dress. A white fichu covers her shoulders and neck, and a green ribbon marks the rear joining of skirt and bodice.

She wears a yellow (possibly straw) hat trimmed with lace along the brim. The hat is turned up at the back and trimmed with a green ribbon rosette. Another rosette adorns the crown. To the right of the woman are three large pictures of hats arranged in a pyramid. The top hat is white with a brim composed of two tiers of pleats.

The crown is decorated with pearls, a red ruffle, and a design of blue flowers. The top of the hat is soft and round, and the crown is decorated with a large white ribbon bow, a spray of pink roses, and a tall, white plume.

The hat on the lower left has a tiered, white, pleated brim. Its crown seems to be made of a wide band of white fabric, or wide ribbon, decorated with green leaves along the edges, and pink and blue flowers. The ribbon is wrapped twice around the hat and tied in back. The hat is trimmed with three bows of yellow ribbon and a white plume.

The hat on the lower right is yellow with red polka dots and has a very high crown. The brim is turned up with a red bow at one side to reveal a white lining. It is decorated with a garland of four pink roses and has two red ribbon rosettes at the crown, and a looping, red bow where crown meets brim.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges