Hat

In the pictureA hat that rises high in front sits on a white mannequin head. The front is densely built up with loops and leaves embroidered in metal thread so that it looks almost like a gold plate, and its lower edge is bound with a metal band stamped with dots. In a horizontal band at the top, a red ground shows through like a window, with a small pattern running inside it. The sides and back are vermilion velvet scattered with gold-thread flowers, and at the back hangs a flap of cloth that reveals a light brown lining. White net is wrapped around the mannequin's forehead. The end of the back flap is cut square.

BackgroundThe records list the materials as silk, metal and linen, the size as 20.3 × 34.3 cm, and the date as the fourth quarter of the 18th century (1776–1799). Hats like this, with a red ground covered in metal-thread embroidery, appear to belong to the same family as the headdresses women in many European regions wore for weddings and festivals, and their forms varied from region to region. The collection record gives no region. It predates by nearly a century most of the other European folk costumes on this site, which are from the 19th century. Mrs. William Ford Goulding gave it to the Brooklyn Museum in 1969. Its Brooklyn accession number, 69.63.21, suggests it was one of several objects in the same gift.

Puzzle tipThe gold embroidery pieces look alike, so look at brightness and boundaries rather than pattern. Fitting the dotted metal band at the bottom edge and the red window band at the top first fixes the top and bottom of the front. The right side of the front is in shadow and its gold is darker, so use that difference to tell left from right. The vermilion velvet on the left, the brown cloth hanging at the back and the white mannequin face are distinct in color and go quickly. The gray background comes last. 48 pieces is a good fit.