Calash

American

Not on view

The calash was a novelty style of headwear, fashionable in the last quarter of the 18th century and then revived from the 1820s to the early 1840s. The spacious shape of the bonnet accommodated the extravagant coiffures of the late 18th century as well as the sculpted towers of curls of the second quarter of the 19th century. This calash, complete in its original form, illustrates the unique construction of lightweight fabric over a frame of collapsible cane hoops, which could be folded back when not in use.

Calash, silk, American

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.