Easter Bonnets
Photos of ancestors in big hats
It’s Easter weekend for western Christians, and in the tradition of a new hat for the occasion, I thought I’d showcase some of the amazing hats that the ladies in our family wore.
This photo was taken about 1906, and the ladies are all wearing incredible hats, even Joan Bailey Benson, aged about 4 years at the time:
This is Sarah Lucy (Bailey) Benson and her daughter Joan Bailey Benson taken about the same year: I can't decide whether Sarah Lucy is wearing an origami pagoda or a straw three-layer cake on her head:
Of course I can't know for sure, but because of the lighter colours of the dresses and hats, these next two photos may have been taken to show off the ladies' new Easter "bonnets" the following year:
Look at this feathery confection! Hopefully no real birds were harmed in its creation, but given the times and the culture, I have grave doubts:
In this next photo, taken circa 1910, Harold Benson is wearing a boater, de rigueur for men in an Edwardian summer. The ladies' hats are enormous!
In the next photo, the hats are perhaps more stylish for fall as they are darker, but the feather boas are an unexpected sartorial touch:
Prior to daily baths or showers with hot- and cold-running water, hats were essential items to cover up hair that was rarely, or perhaps never, washed. I was told that my grandmother Peggie (Margaret Benson) King never washed her hair, but brushed it with powder daily to absorb oil and keep it clean.
Here’s a photo of her in grass-covered dunes by the sea, modelling Edwardian “beach” clothes and another lovely hat:
And the last photo has my vote for ugliest hat in the family photos. Perhaps “live and in colour” it was attractive, but it just doesn't come out that way in this photograph of Anne Isabella (Bailey) Biggs circa 1922:
A tip of the hat to our family's milliners!
Some fabulous hats there!
Delightful post!!