Bonnet Basket

PeriodCirca 1830 - 1840

Place MadeNew Jersey, U.S.A.

MediumDyed wicker, leather, brass, steel, paper

Dimensions12.5 × 10.75 in. (31.8 × 27.3 cm)

ClassificationsStorage & Display Accessories

Credit LineGift of Mrs. Frank Seller, 1937

Object number996

DescriptionA cylindrical woven wicker basket, dyed dark brown, with an attached wicker lid, fitted with a thick leather strap handle. The lid locks in place with a small brass padlock, which retains its original key. The basket also includes the original 1937 typed label, which reads "Formerly the Property of Mrs. Sarah Mills Bampton."
Curatorial RemarksBonnets were both necessary and prized fashion accessories, worn on virtually all occasions except evening dances, parties, and receptions. For all other activities, from visiting friends during the day to going to markets or shops, women donned their headgear. For a good portion of the 19th century, bonnets covered most of the wearer's head, with brim and crown shapes, silhouette, and ornamentation changing as fashion dictated. By the late 1860s and early 1870s, bonnets became smaller and were often replaced by hats which sat atop the wearer's hair, no longer shielding the sides of the face. Bonnets were purchased from milliners' shops or made at home. In either case, a bonnet was often a rather expensive purchase, and often included silk and satin trimmings, silk or paper flowers, feathers, and other adornments. In order to keep these fashion accessories safe, clean, and secure, most women stored them in boxes, baskets, or other similar containers. Although the original donation information noted that the basket was owned by Sarah Mills Brampton, examination of the basket's construction along with the small padlock and key indicate that the basket was most likely a possession of Sarah's mother, Sarah Perrine Mills.NotesThis lightweight but sturdy bonnet basket was owned and used by New Jersey resident Sarah Ann Perrine Mills (1818 - 1841). She married John Toan Mills (1821 - 1910) in 1841. The couple had one child, Sarah Ann Elenore Mills (1841 - 1916). Sarah Perrine Mills died soon after her daughter's birth, most likely due to childbirth complications, and was buried in the Perrineville Presbyterian Churchyard in Perrineville, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Her daughter and namesake used her mother's bonnet basket for her own hats, carefully preserving her mother's possession. Sarah married Richard Bampton in 1861. She died in Perrineville, Monmouth County, New Jersey, on December 27, 1916. Her bonnet basket was given to her niece, Eleanor Mills Sellers (1887 - 1987), who donated the basket to the Association in 1937.

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