Bonnet

Unknown

1883 · straw, silk · Costume Institute

This quintessential bonnet of the early 1880s belonged to Amelia Beard Hollenback (1881-1917), wife of prominent financier and philanthropist John Welles Hollenback (1834-1923). While their primary residence was in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Clinton Hill, the Hollenback family spent summers at their mountaintop retreat in Glenn Summit (Pocono Mountains). Worn in the summer of 1883, Amelia likely wore the bonnet for formal teas, luncheons and lawn parties. As is apparent in the ombré ribbon and artificial flowers, millinery ornamentation were extraordinarily crafted and highly regarded in this period.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1883

Medium

straw, silk

Culture

American

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Amelia Beard Hollenback, 1966