This hat, of around 1883, is of a style sometimes referred to as a ‘gable bonnet’ after its distinctive front edge that rises to a central point like the gable end of a house. It is constructed of a coarse fancy straw braid, a material much favoured in the later decades of the 19^th Century, and trimmed with lace and looped ribbon. The underside of the brim framing the face is covered in ruched deep cream silk twill; similar use of a ruched pale-coloured lightweight silk twill can be seen in a contemporary dress belonging to the John Bright Collection (see Related Items), and may have been considered ‘picturesque’ or ‘artistic’.