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Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales
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Welsh costume hat
Black tall hat; made from black silk plush applied over a base of buckram; edge of brim finished with black binding tape; inner lining of orange-brown silk satin (the silk, in turn, is lined with brown cotton twill fabric and the two fabrics are joined together with lines of machine stitches using black thread). A thin cane has been inserted through a channel stitched to the upper edge of the hat lining. A black elastic band chin strap is a later addition; hat does not have a hat band (missing?). Buckram is not lined (missing?).
Women in rural Wales wore traditional Welsh costume on a daily basis, not just for special occasions. Different areas had their own styles and patterns. The image of the traditional Welsh lady in a red cloak and tall black hat evolved from the clothing worn by these rural women.