Episode 29: The Wild World of Millinery: Hatmaking Across the Ages

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What do a 27,000-year-old figurine, a Bronze Age coil of horsehair, and King Henry VIII's "minions" have in common? They are all part of the wild, tangled, and surprisingly complex world of millinery.

This week, we're diving into the history of how we cover our heads. While we think of "millinery" today as the art of the women's hat, it was once the "department store of the past," selling everything from jewelry and gloves to clocks and "certain stuff."

We'll trace the evolution of the craft from ancient woven fragments found in the Czech Republic to the high-fashion millinery shops of Revolutionary Williamsburg. Along the way, we explore the incredible 40-hour reconstruction of a 3,000-year-old Scottish hat, the cultural significance of the Native American warbonnet, and the business savvy of Victorian women who dominated the trade long before they had the right to vote.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• The "Venus" Mystery: Why archaeologists now believe those ancient braided hairstyles might actually be the world's oldest hats.

• The 40-Hour Hat: A deep dive into the "wrapped twining" technique used to recreate a Bronze Age horsehair masterpiece.

• The King's Shopping List: How much Henry VIII paid for his "bonnetts" (and who his minions were).

• The Shopping Experience: What it was like to shop in an 18th-century millinery shop (spoiler alert: there were pastries!)

• The Millinery Class Boom: Why classes in millinery exploded in the late 1800s and early 1900s–and why they fell short in creating a career pathway for most women

Whether you're a fiber artist curious about the special technique used to make a Bronze-age hat or a history buff interested in the economics of fashion, this episode is for you.

Show notes and sources here: https://tinyurl.com/2wrb74bb

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Know your rights if ICE agents confront you or your neighbors: https://ocasio-cortez.house.gov/services/immigration-know-your-rights

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