Chart of 18th C Characteristics Compared to 19th C Characteristics of Women’s Caps
Here are the characteristics which seem to distinguish 18th C caps from 19th C caps, which could be used to help date the caps in a box of miscellaneous undated linen.
This is my working hypothesis; comments appreciated.
| Earlier (More Likely to be 18th Century) | Later (More Likely to be 19th Century) |
| V. narrow (1/16, 1/8”) linen tape ties on lappets at chin | Self-fabric ties, ribbon ties, wide (1”) ties, ties with lace edges, at chin |
| Minute seams, (1/16, 1/8”) | Wider seams (1/4, ½”), shadow seams, corded seams |
| Rolled gather or stroke gather | Modern gather: drawn cloth between covering layers |
| One layer of cloth | Doubled cloth |
| Plain linen | Figured linen, cotton, machine-made net, whitework |
| Hard ruffles only at turn of lappet and widow’s peak | Hard ruffles all along front of cap |
| Cloth or lace ruffles skinnier (1” and less) around face | Cloth or lace ruffles wider (over 1”) around face |
| Hand-made lace | Crochet, tatting |
| Lace for ruffles, edge trims | Lace inserts in caul or headpiece |
| Caul gathered only at nape and top of head | Other gathers in caul, such as in the middle, or crosswise, or extra poufs. |
| No band at nape; caul gathered here forms edge. | Flat band at nape; caul gathered above |
| Headpiece meets caul at about the ears. Caul is larger | Headpiece is wider, meets caul near back of the head. Caul is smaller, muffin-looking. |
| Headpiece pointed at cheek; headpiece with lappets. | Headpiece squared at cheek |
| Round or pointed lappets | Square-ended lappets |
Final.
CSA 2016
Exhibit: Piecing Together the Details: Eighteenth- Century Women’s Cap Construction
Sherri B. Saines, M.L.S.
Alden Library, Ohio University
Reference and Instruction Librarian
Saines@ohio.edu
The Capalog 