Victorian Bonnet Veils - Not Just for Mourning

Yes, veils were worn for mourning. However, veils were not just for mourning. Veils were a common, practical fashion accessory in the 1860s and were worn for several reasons.

• Veils protected the eyes from the sun's glare, just like sunglasses do now.

• Veils protected the face from flying insects and dust. Remember, buggies, wagons and horse-backing riding didn't provide windshields! 

• Veils offered a lady privacy. They created a personal space for her, even in a public place.

As you can see from this CDV, veils were worn with both bonnets and hats. These ladies have pulled their veils back so you can see their faces. 

Veils have been worn for centuries so ladies wearing them in the 1860s was not a new idea. Veils were worn by young and old alike. Here is both an older lady and a young lady wearing one.

Regardless of race, income and social position, many ladies wore them. 

They were appropriate for both winter and summer weather. 

Veils generally come in a half-oval shape or some rectangular configuration. They seem to be predominantly black or white, but they can also come in colors such as blue, green, and brown. The following snippets from fictional works of the day will illustrate.

Godey’s Lady's Book, 1861
My Ward
She was muffled up in furs, woolens, shawls till she was nearly as broad as she was long, and wore a heavy brown veil.

Peterson’s Magazine, 1864

Fanny’s Flirtation

As the vehicle drew up, in obedience to my summons, a glance inside discovered two females—one somewhere between sixty and a hundred and fifty, and the other composed principally of green veil drawn well over the face...

Peterson’s Magazine, 1864

The Lost Estate

She stopped and looked after him, thrusting the brown veil aside that covered her face.

Littell’s Living Age, Volume 74, by Eliakim Littell, Robert S. Littell (1862)

Chronicles of Carlingford

He went that way—that way, look!—in a cab, with somebody in a blue veil.

I love this lovely yet practical Victorian accessory! In fact, I offer bonnet veils in my shop. My veils are copied from an original veil in my collection.

Available in my shop

Do Only Older Ladies Wear Caps?

We do see many vintage photographs of older ladies wearing caps in the 1860s. Besides being a fashion item, they were also very practical. A cap could hide less-than-perfect hair, particularly for older ladies whose hair might be thinning.

However, caps appealed to a wide range of ages and they came in many styles to accommodate the various age groups’ style preferences. Consider this quote, "Caps are the most difficult articles to advise on; they almost entirely depend on the taste of the milliner and the fashion of the day." Godey's, June 1860. 

While mature ladies most certainly wore caps, younger women also wore them. A few CDVs are presented here to show the cross-section of ages that wore caps, as well as a bit of the variety of styles worn.

A well-dressed older lady with an "statement" cap!

A middle-aged lady with a petite cap 

Obviously an elderly lady
with a fashionable dress and cap

The Viscountess Canning, aged about 42-43, ca. 1860
Met Museum. Accession Number: 2005.100.491.1 (9a)

Here's a sweet image from a Swedish fashion magazine in 1860. Mother has a lovely black chantilly lace cap, and her daughters have a net (left) and a bonnet (right). Quite a tableau!

Nyaste journal for damer 1860. Stiftelsen Nordiska museet.

And finally, here's a lovely young looking woman.

What Style of Cap Was Worn?

An endless variety of ladies' caps were worn in the mid-1860s. Caps had been around for a very long while, so the idea was not new. Only the styling changed to suit the fashions of the day.

As with many items, how elaborate the cap was depended on the formality of the occasion, the type of event, or the lady’s station in life. If you were wealthy, your cap would likely reflect your status. A lady of more moderate means would have a cap of more moderate appearance.

One of my favorite quotes is, "Caps are the most difficult articles to advise on; they almost entirely depend on the taste of the milliner and the fashion of the day." (Godey's, June 1860) Even the trendy Godey’s Lady’s Book could not give any concise or definitive guidelines on what was considered the appropriate look.

I like this cap because it is so straightforward without a lot of fuss and muss. In fact, some of the caps that I create are very similar to this design from Godey’s Lady's Book, July 1860. It is called the "Nell Gwynne" and is simply a "lace piece" gathered at the top with a bow.

Enjoy these carte de vistas from the era that show the variety of caps worn. Some I found online and others are from my collection.

A jaunty lace cap on a young lady

A pretty, and perhaps understated cap

Most definitely showing off her lace lappets!

Certainly this is a grand cap!

Once again, quite the fancy cap!

Note the tones of materials used for the cap—not unusual for this time period 

These ladies are sporting both square and rectangular caps
From "Forgotten Faces and Long Ago Places"

I enjoy making Victorian caps and have many listed in my shop!

My “Headdress” Inspirations

A quick look at fashion plates of the 1860s shows that whenever a formal gown was worn, a lady would nearly always wear some ornament in her hair. There were numerous illustrations of this ornamentation in the ladies magazines of the day, ranging from jewels to laces to flowers and more.

Not only did the ladies love to put all sorts of ornaments in their hair, they would also try to create elaborate hairstyles using all sorts of hairpieces to make their own hair look more impressive. No, all of those amazing hairstyles that you see in the vintage magazines were not solely the lady’s real hair! False hair pieces to enhance one’s appearance were quite acceptable.

However, in considering the modern reenactress and her limitations in hair styling for formal events, I have assumed that most of us don’t have the time or perhaps money to invest in numerous hairpieces to add to our tresses. I have, therefore, chosen several of the simpler illustrations as my inspirations for the ladies of today when creating my headdresses.

At this point, it has seemed most practical - and lovely! - to use the simple crescent and wreath styles to help ladies achieve the 1860s look for their events. Both of these line drawings are from Godey’s Ladies Book, April 1864.

Below are photos of headdresses that I have made for my shop based on the crescent and wreath styles.

Breakfast Caps

In the mornings a Victorian lady often wore a "breakfast cap" as she began her day. Breakfast caps were generally fashioned from cambric, fine muslin, or perhaps dotted mull. Ladies' books of the day lobbied for a "simple toilet" for breakfast caps--meaning that trim should only consist of ribbons and narrow lace edging or insertion. For example, Godey's (July 1861) tells us that, "Many ladies prefer muslin and cambric as the material for breakfast caps, and in fact either is more suitable than lace for that purpose, as breakfast is a meal that presupposes negligee [casual attire] and a simple toilet."

However, depending on one's station in life, a "simple toilet" might actually be rather frilly despite the magazine exhortations.

 To the left is a "simple" breakfast cap from Arthur's Lady's Home Magazine in 1863. Lace and ribbons are a common adornment for breakfast caps and this cap features these.

Another breakfast cap is shown in this image below. Most breakfast caps seem to have been made from white fabrics, but do notice that this cap below is constructed of "dotted black lace over white" so there was evidently some variation.

The print below shows quite an elaborate cap that might be a breakfast cap because the lady is shown in her morning wrapper. Notice that this cap has lappets, lace, ribbons, and what appear to be millinery flowers. Not quite a "simple toilet."

Allgemeine Moden-Zeitung, 1862

Another style of breakfast cap.

Would You Wear A Cap?

Reenactresses and docents can also don a breakfast cap with their morning attire. A breakfast cap is a period way of hiding less-than-perfect hair. Upon tidying your hair for the day, you might replace your breakfast cap for a daytime cap that could be more elaborate.

I have also found opportunities to wear my breakfast cap at events with my reenacting girlfriends. And if we are all lodged in the same hotel, we have sometimes made plans to "astonish the natives" by wearing our wrappers and breakfast caps to the hotel's dining room for breakfast!

If you really love Victorian dress, you can wear a breakfast cap any morning! Who wouldn't want to put on one of these darling little creations in the morning? The Victorian ladies might have had the right idea after all!

Looking cute in our wrappers and caps!