Date: c. 1920s
Origin: Unknown
Fabric: Filet style machine lace, silk ribbon
Brand: Unknown
A boudoir cap made of panels of filet style, machine made lace and lilac silk ribbon. Bands of the lace have been gathered into rosette panels at the sides of the head, with the centres embellished with small silk flowers. Pleated silk ribbon trims the centre front and centre back of the the cap.
The boudoir cap is a type of lingerie headwear, most commonly worn during the nineteenth to early twentieth centuries. It was originally worn over undressed hair, worn in the privacy of the boudoir alongside nightwear. In the 1910s and 1920s, it would be commonly worn to protect shorter hair styles during sleep. As the designs became more and more elaborate towards the 1930s, it began to be considered more of a decorative hair net. Like other forms of lingerie, boudoir caps were usually made in fine fabrics such as lace, tulle and satin. Embellishment was often profuse, with techniques such as ribbonwork being particularly commonplace.
From the collection of Karolina Laskowska
