In honor of Independence Day this weekend, I’m skipping ahead in our History of Headgear series to the late 1700’s, to take a look at the kind of things people like Martha Washington and Abigail Adams wore.  Before you break out your barbecue and sparklers, take a look at some of these styles.

Rich women who had the time and money to bother with elaborate hairstyles went crazy with piled lots of puff on top and curls at the sides – and the fashion was to powder it white for special occasions.

Around this time, simple “country” styles of clothing were popular.  Any half-decent lady back then would have worn a mob cap (or something similar) when indoors.  A mob cap is a round, somewhat floppy, gathered hat (usually linen or some sort of gauze) with a ruffle around the edge, often trimmed with lace or ribbon.  Alternately, you could wear a small, brimless bonnet that tied under your chin, or a round-eared cap, which was like a mob cap that didn’t gather all the way around – kind of between a bonnet and mob cap.

When you wanted to go outside, you put a wide-brimmed, low-crowned hat right on top of your mob cap and tied it under your chin or hair with ribbons.  They could be made of straw, silk, gauze, beaver fur, felt, or lace.  If you felt like it, you could put some flowers around the crown.  If you had a large, elaborate hairstyle, you would have wanted to wear a calash bonnet over it – a high, stiff, framed bonnet that would protect your ‘do from wind and weather, and that could fold up when you went inside.

The wealthy imported their hats from France, which was the ultimate source for high-fashion back then – some things don’t change much, huh?  France also had an advantage to American women because they were allies during the war; beyond boycotting British tea, they went so far as to boycott British fashion.