Poke Bonnet

Nothing evokes a more appealing image of demure 19th-century femininity than the ‘poke bonnet’. Yet it was originally meant to conceal the face rather than add allure to it. It was devised by an aristocrat named Baroness Oldenburg in 1818 to hide her unfortunate looks - the bonnet’s side flaps curled around and all but covered her face. Intrigued by the bonnet, pretty women of the day began decorating it with ribbons and flowers and turning back its sides to give coy and provocative glimpses of their faces.