Nightcap

This men’s hat, called a nightcap, is made of brocaded silk. The colorful design, containing generous amounts of silver-wrapped thread, includes a central bouquet and a variety of other floral designs. Like most clothing, even clothing worn in villages, this nightcap was likely made by professionals. The fabric would have been woven by specialized weavers, possibly specifically for use in a cap, and the tailoring done in a separate workshop, where each cap was custom-fit. Wigs, usually powdered and curled, were standard dress for men in this period, and were even worn during informal occasions within the home. This nightcap may have been worn during private activities or intimate meetings such as the morning toilette, when some elite men received guests while attendants helped them to dress and to prepare their wigs. Nightcaps also appear in portraits of some artists, writers, and doctors who excluded wigs in order to appear timeless.

Nightcap; silk, metallic yarn (metal foil wound around silk core) and flat foil strips; H x diam.: 27 x 60 cm (10 5/8 x 23 5/8 in.); Gift of Richard C. Greenleaf in memory of his mother, Adeline E. Greenleaf; 1952-47-2