Cap
For informal occasions at home a gentleman discarded his curled wig for the ease and comfort of a dressing cap. In order to wear a heavy wig comfortably, a man had to wear his own hair closely cropped. Naturally, when the wig was off he presented rather an awkward picture and was exposed to cold drafts in chilly rooms. Dressing caps were made in a wide variety of materials, including silk, satin, linen, and fur. The embroidery seen here – probably the handiwork of a gentlewoman – depicts on one side a fashionably dressed man wearing an undress cap while smoking, and on the other side a lady in a formal dress in a pastoral setting. Gentlemen did not sleep in these fancy caps; they preferred to wear plain cotton or wool versions, often quilted for warmth.
Artwork Details
- Title: Cap
- Date: first quarter 17th century
- Culture: British
- Medium: silk, linen
- Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1939
- Object Number: 39.145
- Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
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1740s
Textile by Anna Maria Garthwaite (British, 1690–1763)
1747
1615–20
ca. 1760
ca. 1750
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