During the 1840s the wide bonnet brim you have already seen (illustration 5) closed in around the face, completely hiding it when seen from the sides. This style was called a "poke" bonnet. The brim and crown began to shrink in the late 1840s and in the next decade were so shallow that the bonnet appeared to be sliding off the back of the head and only held in place by the bonnet strings tied in a bow under the chin. All bonnets of these two decades had a frill, called a curtain or bavelot, across the back of the neck.
Hats came in again in the 1860s. They were small and sat flat on the head. Nevertheless, many women considered the bonnet the only proper attire for church on Sundays and other special occasions. The group shown here includes a white silk bonnet of about 1840, a black satin bonnet of the mid-1840s with the white linen house cap that was worn under it, and a straw and velvet, late 1850s bonnet with a wide curtain. The 1860s straw hat was held on with ribbons tied under the chin and the mauve taffeta is an 1870s creation. All were worn in Ontario.
