Eleanor Houghton modelling the ‘Lydia Bennet, 1813’ bonnet
By Eleanor Houghton. Eleanor is a current student on the MA in Eighteenth-Century Studies at the University of Southampton.
She has worked extensively with the collections at Chawton House Library, and is designing the ‘1814, Maria Bertram/Rushworth bonnet’ for the JASNA meeting in Montreal. Her website is here: http://www.eleanorhoughton.com/work.html
In September last year I began work on what was to become a labour of love. It would take over sixty hours, twenty five metres of natural straw plait and ninety metres of cotton thread to create the basic form which would ultimately become the ‘ 1813, Lydia Bennet Bonnet’.
As a practising couture milliner, set to embark on a combined PhD in English and the History of Dress at the University of Southampton in October of this year, I was well placed to undertake a bonnet commission to mark the bicentenary of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Working closely with Sarah Parry, the Education Officer for Chawton House Library, my task was to recreate an historically accurate headdress that could be used to help bring the inhabitants of Austen’s world to life for the adults and children who visit. Enabling visitors to touch and examine something that would normally be restricted has proved an excellent means of encouraging the next generation to engage with the history and literature of the past.
I set about researching the style, materials and millinery practices common to 1813. The poke bonnet was a style that featured a long, close-fitting brim that framed the face. The style rose to fame in the early nineteenth century, becoming one of most the caricatured accessories of the period. Seen from the side, the hat protected the visage from the elements whilst simultaneously advocating a ladylike withdrawal from prying eyes. Seen from the front however, its decorative elements framed and enhanced the wearer’s face by surrounding it with a plethora of adornments, be they lace, flowers or ribbons. Yet rather than demonstrating a decorous, virginal modesty, attention was instead drawn to the woman’s most desirable facial qualities – her eyes and lips. Thus the poke, with all of its coquettish connotations, seemed a fitting choice for my chosen muse – the young Lydia Bennet.
Drawing on archival material, visual and literary sources, and upon my technical skills, I used a natural straw braid akin to the plait made in the Bedfordshire countryside during the 1800s. To make the central coil that forms the back of the hat, it was necessary to dampen the straw to form a compact spiral. The process was a laborious and uncomfortable one, requiring dexterity and thick skin. Once the top of the crown was complete, the tension was adjusted to encourage the straw to curve downwards so as to form the sides of the crown. The finished shape was steamed over a bonnet block before being varnished.
The bonnet was then wired and lined with paper and glue. Finally, using a cotton chintz fabric which closely resembled a rose bud print from early 1800s, I lined the inside of the bonnet. Rosettes, a military embellishment inspired by the Napoleonic Wars, were formed as trim. Long lengths of ribbons made at Whitchurch Silk Mill, where silk ribbons are still woven using original looms and techniques, were also added for decorative effect. The overall effect was both authentic and pleasing. One can almost discern the impetuous eyes of Miss Lydia Bennet gazing out from within its depths.
With one successful venture behind me, I was asked to begin the next. In this, the bicentenary year of Mansfield Park, I have been commissioned to make another bonnet, this time to be auctioned to raise much-needed funds for Chawton House Library. I have located an 1814 Ackermann fashion plate from within the library and selected a rose pink straw bonnet decorated with magnificent ostrich plumes which I will endeavour to recreate in all its glory. Magazines and journals of the period suggest rose pink was de rigeur in 1814. One might well imagine how a fashionable bonnet such as this might have been used to full advantage by the desperate Maria Bertram, later Rushworth, in her ill-advised pursuit of Henry Crawford. The bonnet will once again be made using authentic materials and techniques wherever possible. Work will begin over summer 2014, with photographs of the construction process being available to view on the Chawton House Library website. By October, the bonnet will be ready to undergo its long journey to meet the Jane Austen Society of North America at their AGM in Montreal.
The ‘1813 Lydia Bennet Bonnet’, along with photos of its construction will be available to view at The Jane Austen Society of the UK Annual General Meeting on Saturday 12th July at Chawton House Library. I will also be present to answer any questions on the day.