Fashion Tapas: Romance of the Hat and Hair in the 1830s

Bonnets. Are you are old enough to remember getting a new Easter bonnet every year? They're not so fashionable now, but they certainly were during the Romantic Period.

A unique feature of some of the hats during the 1830s was a steep crown. Look at the second hat from the upper left in the fashion plate below.

1833 fashion plate from Wikipedia Comons

The bonnets with the steep crown were designed to accommodate a  popular hairstyle called the Apollo's knot:

Apollo's Knot hairstyle 1830s 

The hair was worn all curly at the sides. A top knot like this would be more for evening wear. During the day the hair might be worn in a bun at the back--like Lady Jane's below. The other bonnets would work better for her type of styling. (Isn't she a beauty?)

Lady Jane Elizabeth Digby as painted by Stieler 1831

Regardless of the bonnet's shape, you could be sure that it would be festooned with ribbons, lace, flowers, or bows.