Victorian Butterfly Embroidered Cotton Night Cap

This Victorian/ Edwardian, cotton, night cap is the perfect mix of simplicity with an attention to delicate details.

Front view of the cap

Unlike the silk ruffle Boudoir Cap from several posts ago, this particular cap is far simpler. Towards the end of the Victorian Period Boudoir or Night Caps were slowly going out of fashion and seen as only being worn my elderly women.

The date of this particular cap was a bit hard to determine for many factors:

• The use of plain, white cotton, which was seen more in the Edwardian Era due to them being out of fashion.
• Use of blue embroidery and lace, which was not common to see in the Edwardian era, but the simplicity could place it to the tail end of fashion in the Victorian Era.
• The pristine condition of the cap makes it appear to be "newer" than the Victorian Era.

I had several clues that helped me determine the era of this piece one being the provenance. This piece came from a member of a family with a long line of sewers and seamstresses. They kept very good records of pieces and even who made them. This cap was with a bundle of clothing and sewing notions from the Victorian Era.

The style itself was a clue because it is not in the "Mob Style" of cap (gathered with elastic at the bottom) that came into fashion again in the 1920's.

Beautiful blue embroidery and lace details!

Edwardian caps were not ornate, but just basic white cotton caps. The use of lace and embroidery showed that when this was made these caps were still in fashion, but nearing towards losing popularity.

Another clue is the one I love the most! The embroidered butterfly was a common symbol used in Victorian fashion that symbolized beauty, rebirth and transformation. The woman who made this worked as a seamstress and one instead of having a paper resume like we do today she had actual examples of her work to show perspective clients. Using the butterfly is a great marketing technique because it was a well-known and used symbol at the time.

This is also why it's in such pristine condition!

Overhead view of the embroidered butterfly!

circa 1895-1901, United States

AP.16.20.V.56