The Sunbonnet: Genuine frontier clothing, or inaccurate cliché?
Picture in your mind a woman of the 1800’s living on the American frontier. What do you see? She is probably riding in a covered wagon or hanging laundry nearby a log cabin. This woman is likely wearing a printed cotton “calico” dress, an apron, and a sunbonnet.
Perhaps the enduring popularity of iconic stories written by Laura Ingalls Wilder and Mark Twain, including Little House on the Prairie and Huckleberry Finn, have aided in the perpetuation of this image. Surely other pop-culture touchstones, such as the TV version of “Little House” and the Oregon Trail computer game of the 1990’s, have contributed as well.
Many generations after falling from use, the pioneer woman’s headwear has nevertheless remained intact in our imaginations. But, is this durable image of the bonnet-wearing American woman leading a life of hardship on the edge of civilization based in truth? Or, like the iconic double-horned helmet which we erroneously associate with Viking warriors, is the sunbonnet merely a persistent modern myth? I had to find out for myself whether the cliché of a pioneer woman in a sunbonnet is based in reality or fiction.
The Evolution of American Bonnets
The term “bonnet” is a broad category of hats, and includes a wide variety of shapes and forms fading in and out of Anglican and American fashion from the Georgian era of the late 1700’s through the early 20th century. The so-called “market” bonnet, a hat worn outdoors by women of the late 18th century, is a likely ancestor of the American pioneer woman’s sun-bonnet. Shown in artwork and mentioned in newspapers of the time, market bonnets featured a panel of fabric gathered around the crown of the head and attached to a rounded front brim which curved down slightly toward the ears. In the late 1700’s and first decades of the following century, bonnets (“leghorn” and “poke” styles) began to be curved more deeply down around the sides of the face. Flared brims made of stiff materials, such as braided straw, came into use thereafter, and by the mid-1800’s, fashionable bonnets took on shallow, trumpet-like shapes. More practical “sunbonnets” of the 19th century maintained the deep brimmed shape which better shielded women’s faces from the weather.
- “Market” bonnet, silk (1810-1835), Met Museum (Link)
- Fashionable straw bonnet (1848-1852), Met Museum (Link)
- Sunbonnet, cotton (ca. 1840), Met Museum (Link)
- Sunbonnet illustration, circa 1920
Bonnets vs. Caps, Fancy and Plain
Though categorization was somewhat fluid and open to interpretation, women’s head coverings in the 19th century fit into general types based on form and use. Despite the distinction seeming subtle to us now, “bonnets” and “caps” were thought of as separate wardrobe items. Caps, which helped to maintain a tidy appearance and air of propriety, were worn most often while working or resting indoors. They were almost universally plain white and simple ones could stand up to frequent laundering. Bonnets distinguished themselves from caps in that they tended to be worn almost exclusively outside the home. Bonnets could perform two primary functions: protect a woman from the elements and enhance the stylishness of an outfit. In the 19th century, it seems those functions were usually performed by entirely separate wardrobe items: fashionable fancy bonnets and sturdy, work-a-day sun-bonnets. Fancy bonnets were often made by professional milliners, trimmed with pricier fabrics like silk, and would be worn for occasions such as shopping in town, attending church, or calling on neighbors for a social visit. A woman’s sunbonnet, in contrast, was usually home-sewn and suited to completing taxing outdoor tasks like washing laundry, tending fields or livestock, and long-distance travel.
While bonnets and caps were worn by women on every rung of the social ladder, those of the most meager means might own only a sunbonnet or scarf for utility and appearance’s sake. Women who could afford to, would keep multiple bonnets on hand for various seasons and occasions.
Defining the Pioneer Sunbonnet
The simple form of the working woman’s sunbonnet endured as a practical garment for a surprisingly long span of time. Sunbonnets, as they were usually homemade items, could vary in proportions, but they nearly always featured a gathered crown fixed to a deep, u-shaped brim, and a curtain (sometimes referred to as a bavolet) covering the back of the neck for sun protection. A pair of ties made of the same or similar fabric as the bonnet itself were affixed on each side and could be used to secure the bonnet comfortably under the wearer’s chin. Examples of practical, pioneer-style bonnets surviving in museum collections from the 1840’s and earlier show that sunbonnets were usually made of sturdy cotton, with additional structure frequently added using quilting or cording sewn into channels. Some mid-nineteenth century bonnets feature slot-shaped pockets for stiff, horizontal “slats,” which could be removed for washing.
- Checked cotton sunbonnet, American, Met Museum. circa 1840 (Source)
- Quilted bonnet, New England. Smithsonian. 1840-1890 (Source)
Over many decades the sunbonnet form changed very little. Many of the preserved examples have imprecise date ranges– sometimes several decades– associated with them. These utilitarian bonnets can be challenging to pin down to a specific era because their basic form, construction methods, and homemade nature persisted over such a long span of time. Their general form became fossilized compared to the ever evolving designs of bonnets women wore to church and to have their photo taken. Perhaps this is because, as work-wear, they were less susceptible to the whims of fashionability.
Fancy Bonnets Often Appear in Photos. Work Bonnets Do Not.
Primary-source images of pioneer sunbonnets in use by women prior to the American Civil War seem to be surprisingly elusive in publicly accessible collections online. Yet, the enduring image of bonnet-wearing women leads one to believe these headcoverings were extremely commonplace.
Initially, a good place to look for bonnets in action might be in early photographs. And fancy bonnets, the stiffly structured variety tied with wide ribbons under the chin, do appear frequently in daguerreotype and tintype portraits of ordinary Americans. These fancy bonnets were desirable and in fashion at the time in the 1830’s and 1840’s when photography first became accessible to people of moderate means and women understandably wanted their visages to be documented in their finest attire. Therefore, examples of utilitarian, work-wear bonnets with deep, tunnel-like brims are unfortunately mostly absent from costly photographs.
Unidentified mother with two daughters in fancy bonnets, Thomas M. Easterly, photographer. (Link)
Portrait of Two Seated Women in Bonnets, about 1850, Unknown maker, American. No copyright (Link)
So, how can we know women actually wore sunbonnets?
Museum Collections
Because formal or special occasion clothing of all eras, rather than work-a-day attire, constitutes the bulk of garments contained in museum collections, it is actually remarkable that many ordinary sunbonnets have been preserved for posterity at all. Utilitarian clothing items which people subject to sweat, dirt, and sunshine, and which are exposed to pests, frequent washing, patching, and repurposing usually end their life as rags rather than in an archive. Think about your own socks, underwear, undershirts, handkerchiefs, weathered hats, stained and torn jeans, etc. The fact that some humble sunbonnets are still with us may attest to their true abundance at the height of their use.
Written References in Newspapers and Chronicles
The commonplace items women wore during most of their lives, their most basic utilitarian garments, may be difficult to accurately visualize and appreciate, but written references help. Perhaps due to their homespun nature and their ubiquity, sunbonnets did not merit frequent documentation. And, though mentions of them are not overly abundant, contemporary references to sunbonnets exist in autobiographical works and newspapers of the mid-19th century. Christiana Tillson, a settler in Southern Illinois, demonstrates the sensibleness of bonnet-use when she mentions the sunburn of a fair-skinned girl who wore a scarf over her hair, but lacked a type of headgear which could shade her face: a sunbonnet.
She had on a German blue calico dress, with a handkerchief tied over her head and another hung on her arm, in which was her wardrobe. They arrived about noon, under a scorching sun. She had light — -nearly white — hair, with large, goggle, black eyes, while her skin was as fair as an infant’s; the ride, however, of twenty-eight miles under a hot sun and without a bonnet had changed her face from white to red, which, with her startling eyes, gave her a somewhat terrific appearance.”
Christiana Tillson, writing of late 1820’s Illinois
As seen in the examples above, newspaper advertisements for new goods of the day mention fancy bonnets, caps, and trimmings for sale. Sunbonnets, however, sometimes show up within more narrative content. For instance, a newspaper article from the Sangamo Journal of Springfield, Illinois in 1848 retells an incident in which a woman’s sunbonnet caught fire while she was doing some washing.
Sunbonnets are also a feature of the comically opinionated “A Letter to Country Girls,” written by a Mrs. Swisshelm and published in a Missouri newspaper in May 1849. She admonishes rural women for frequently neglecting to wear protective clothing, such as gloves and sunbonnets, while completing daily chores– thus allowing their pride and independence to cause their skin to become coarse and tough.
Take care of your hands, and do not forget your faces. I have seen many country girls who at sixteen had complexions like alabaster, and at twenty-six their faces would look like a runnet bag that had hung six weeks in the chimney corner. One reason of this is, they do not wear a bonnet to protect them from the sun.”
Glasgow Weekly Times, Glasgow, Missouri, 1849 (Source)
[I recommend reading the whole colorful newspaper opinion column from which this quote is pulled. As a modern reader, it is quite educational and entertainingly spicy.]
A runaway ad published in an 1840 edition of a Bowling Green, Missouri newspaper describes an unfortunate 14-year old enslaved girl wearing a calico sun bonnet when she was last seen.
It seems that there is sufficient evidence to justify the perception that sunbonnets were in common use by frontier women. Records show broad evidence indicating that the iconic sunbonnet really was a staple of women’s wardrobes, if not a fashionable one, and not merely folklore invented by our collective imaginings.
If sunbonnets were common, why didn’t they leave much trace?
Sunbonnets seem to have been perceived as humble and lowly, yet were necessary attire for the hardest-working women to maintain their appearance and health. My impression is, then, that sunbonnets were commonly worn, but women didn’t want to be documented in them.
To anyone who ponders this disparity for a moment, it may make sense that the practical sunbonnets are scarce in photographs and merchant advertisements. Today, fashions have continued inevitably to change and fancy hats have fallen largely out of use for American women. Despite this, ball caps and broad-brimmed utilitarian hats meant to protect the wearer from the sun remain relatively commonplace. Now, with capturing photographs cheaper than ever, an occasional candid photo may document our own pragmatic headwear. However, just like our predecessors, we are not likely to don a sweaty hat usually worn while doing yard work for a portrait session by a professional photographer in a studio or at a scenic location. And, no one in the 21st century is shopping for grubby workwear at high-end boutiques or sending their stained and sun-beaten old ball caps to be locked away in museums either.
It seems that our pioneer fore-mothers felt the same way about their practical headgear. It was worn for comfort and practicality and decidedly not “to be seen.” I wonder how they would feel about being distinctly remembered for wearing a clothing accessory that they apparently found to be almost embarrassingly unfashionable and rustic. Maybe the sunbonnet deserves more respect, in the past and the present, for the dignity and perseverance of hard-working women that it represents.
Selected References:
The Sunbonnet: An American Icon in Texas. Matheson, Rebecca Jumper. 2009. https://archive.org/details/sunbonnetamerica0000math/
Victorian Bonnet Timeline https://www.sewhistorically.com/victorian-bonnet-timeline-1840-1869/
Part 2: A Rare Glimpse of 1840’s Sunbonnets Captured on Film
In my research, I did come across one bit of highly compelling evidence that cotton sun bonnets were truly common— an amazing photo dating from the mid-19th century which includes a large group of women wearing their sunbonnets. It is a gem! But, more on that in the next installment: Mid-19th Century Sunbonnets (Part 3).
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