Hat

Early 19th-century etiquette required a lady’s head to be covered at all times, even with evening dress. A cap such as this one, gathered and full to suggest the shape of a turban, was popular for evening wear about 1820. The Romantic movement created an interest in the dress of non-European countries, particularly North Africa and the Middle East. Decorative motifs and accessories were borrowed to make current fashions more ‘exotic’. Although knowledge of the proper proportions and construction of a turban was not available to British milliners, the overall shape was approximated for the most fashionable headwear.