Hats were primarily used as a means of protection from the sun, to avoid an injury that might be sustained from falling rock, etc. However, in the later years, the hats became a symbol of style statement and authority. The kind of hats worn by women and men were different.


Womens Hats-


In the 1860s, the main headwear for women was the bonnet. The bonnets framed a womans face. The sunbonnet made from different fabrics protected a womans face and neck. Hats were also used by young women and girls of the Victorian period. Most of the hats used were trimmed with ribbons, flowers and at times, veils.

Hats formed an essential part of a womans apparel and as a result, they would always wear a hat when they went out. The hats were layered on a wire base covered with straw braids or twisted fabric and was made from velvet, satin, cotton and tulle fabrics.


Birds were used as decorating piece on the hats and this was a fashion in the last half of the 19th century. The hats were ornamented by bird parts like their wings, breasts or at times the whole bird was used. The Brazilian blackbird was in demand for becoming a showpiece on the hat.


Hats also include hatpins which were either the basic hatpins, or stick pins, or cameo hatpins or even novelty hatpins. Hatpin holders may be classified into boot hair pin holder or tall hair pin holder. The most romantic looking hat of the 1850s was a leghorn straw with a wide brim dipped down at the back and slightly at the front. In the early 1900s, hats had wider-brim and were worn high on the head.


Mens Hats-

The top hat or the tall silk hat was generally worn for formal day and evening wear. A light grey top hat was worn in the 1860s for racing parties. Since the 1870s, there was a rise in the number of hats that were considered appropriate for informal wear. The wide-awake, a broad-brimmed felt hat with a low crown was popular as a countrymans hat. Caps of firmly woven wool which were close-fitting were also worn by the Victorian men.