Women's Hats

The bonnet was still the only proper headgear for women in the 1850s. These bonnets were wide and round and curved beneath the chin. By 1853, the bonnet sat far back on the head, as seen in the two late 1850s images below.

1850s Bonnets: Image courtesy of Joan L. Severa, Dressed for the Photographer: Ordinary Americans and Fashion, 1840-1900, 1995