Bonnet veil

Straw is surprisingly versatile and makes attractive decoration. This veil would have been a very suitable and charming trimming for a straw bonnet of the period. The small semi-circular veil of black machine-made net is sprinkled with petite flower heads of stamped out straw, each with a black glass bead in the centre. Four three-dimensional bees made of straw veneer, black silk thread, beads and straw thread highlight the decoration. The straw motifs were probably made in Switzerland. Swiss straw products became more decorative from the 1840s, and all sorts of motifs were punched from straw sheets using custom-made dies.