Vintage Straw Hat Blank Regency Milkmaid Shepherdess Jane Austen Cottagecore

Description

This is a vintage woven straw blank for a
bergere ("ber-ZHAIR") hat, also called a shepherdess or milkmaid hat. The style was popular from the later 1700s into the early 1800s and was trimmed with puffed ribbon and lined inside with silk or calico. Marie Antoinette wore this style of hat informally; it's also suitable for Jane Austen/ Regency, and milkmaid costumes were popular at masquerade balls. The hat
measures roughly 17.5" across with a 3" crown. Its condition is well-worn. The edges are not finished in places. I have taken close-up photographs to highlight the weave and the rough edges with a ruler to show scale. Please see the photos for details. The straw is still pliable and not brittle, so in my estimation this is a vintage hat but not antique. Quite a unique hat, with a woven pattern of flowers, that needs a skilled hand to make it shine once again.