All posts filed under: 20th Century
A pair of picture hats
Yesterday’s post on the history of picture hats reminded Lynne of two of her family photographs, and she has kindly let me show them to you. Here are Lynne’s Great Aunt Alice and Alice’s sister, her Grandmother Florence. Florence immigrated to NZ before WWI as a children’s nursemaid. Based on advertisements I have seen, and numerous examples of women who came to NZ via this route, there was considerable demand for domestic help, and nursemaids and governesses in particular, in pre-WWI NZ. It was an easy way for women without a lot of means to have their passage paid, but most quickly married or moved on to other positions once they arrived. Early 20th century NZ society was much more democratic than its British counterpart, and the strict class system that characterised Britain did not hold here. But that’s an aside. Today we are focusing on Alice and Florence. I already love this pictures, first because they symbolise the sharing and knowledge that the blog world has fostered, and second, because of the similarities …
Terminology: What is a picture hat?
A picture hat is a large, broad-brimmed hat, usually rather elaborately trimmed. The name is usually said to come from the way the hat frames the face, like a round picture frame, though I’ve also seen it said that it is because they were considered a revival of historical styles, so the wearer looked like a the women in the paintings of Gainsborough or Reynolds. Perhaps the real truth is slightly more prosaic, and it is simply that they were worn by those who affected the picturesque. Picture hats became popular in the early 1890s, and remained popular until the early 1910s. The first known use of the term was in 1887, with the term appearing in the fashion notes of NZ newspapers from 1888, and becoming quite common by 1893. Early mentions indicate they were also called ‘garden hats.’ Picture hats were fantastic for piling on the abundant trimmings of the Edwardian mode, and helped to preserve the complexions of their wearers. Their attributes weren’t quite so much appreciated by theatre goers and those …