During the 1850s this straw bonnet would have been worn outside to keep a woman's complexion pale and to protect from the sun. Women often owned two bonnets: one for warmer weather usually made of straw and one for colder weather. The tradition of the Easter bonnet comes from when women would switch their winter bonnet for their summer bonnet. This bonnet is significant to the collection because it is an excellent representation of the style of bonnet worn by women in the 1850s.
