Early 1900s Motoring Caps and Duster Coat

HatsEnough

HatsEnough

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Linen Driving or Racing Caps (One Man's One Woman's)
Maker: Donovan Industries?
Color: Natural Cotton, or Muslin
Date of Manufacture: Early 1900s

The caps came with the goggles seen in the photos but I don't know if the person I bought this from just threw in the goggles or if they wee originally with the caps.

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Driver's Duster
Maker: Century
Color: Natural Cotton or Muslin
Date of Manufacture: Early 1900s

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The packaging on the goggles look more motorscooter 1950s/60s to me, but the woman's cap looks Edwardian to me. What I am a bit leery about is the good condition it's in - the elastic is still pliable and what's that yellow lining in the selvedge of the women's cap? It looks almost like a pellon. The duster coat is absolutely right for 1910-12ish.
 
As to that yellow stuff on the woman's cap, I am not sure. But it is crumbling, whatever it is. It almost seems like a paper tape of some sort. And the elastic in that bunched area isn't very strong. It is very springy upon pulling and I'm afraid to pull it too much for fear that it talls apart inside. I agree with you about the goggles. That's why I felt the guy I bought it all from just threw that in with the hats (I got the duster separately from someone else).
 
Hi,

Love that duster coat! The lady's cap is giving me a feeling that it is later than early 1900's, but I would need to have it in hand to be more sure. The interior just looks a bit "off" for an antique cap. Of course, I am not sure as I have only had a couple dozen or so of these pass through my actual hands, but have seen many in my old catalogs and magazines. I have not seen one quite like yours. The linen looks a bit on the thin side to me, and the elastic ruffle and the rest of the construction seems "modern" to me. But as I said, I am certainly no authority, it is just my feeling from the photo. Are the buttons plastic? they look like plastic in the photos, and I think they should be shell.

Nice to see the caps, side by side.
 
I'm thinking that woman's motoring hat is something from the late 60s - there was that odd Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Edwardiana craze of the late 60s - early 70s, and I could it being something made and offered by a boutique store from c. 1968-71.
 
I will try to get a photo soon. But I doubt the woman's hat is from the 60s. The cloth feels older than that. Stil I haven't a clue if it is turn of the century. The maddening thing is there are no labels on either of the hats.
 
I am thinking that the lady's cap would fly right off her head, and so would need to be worn with a scarf, that probably went over her head and then laced through the tabs, and tied round her neck. Do the buttons serve a purpose, or are they only decorative?

The horseless carriage craze was big in the 1960's and still has quite a following. Someone could have made the cap in the 1960s or later, using a good grade linen or even sewn it up from an antique piece of linen which is still fairly easy to find. Laying out a flat pattern for that type of hat would not be too difficult for an experienced dressmaker or milliner. I am not saying that it is not genuine antique, just that it looks rather "unconstructed" for an antique cap. Interesting to find out what it is!
 
I am just not knowledgable enough about women's clothing to know about that cap, for sur. Glad some of you have some ideas.
 
OK, here are two close ups of the buttons on what I am calling the male cap. It has a usable chin belt. Then one shot of the button on what I am calling the woman's cap. These tabs are not usable but are sewn down.
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Woman's cap button:

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Also, after looking at these again (I originally just posted photos I had taken a year ago and had not looked at the items since) I see that the yellow stuff on the woman's cap is the back of the elastic at the front bill that is falling apart.
 
The buttons are definitely plastic so that puts the hat to postwar. It's entirely possible too that this was made from a pattern that might appear in something like Ladies' Home Journal, and was made up by a car collector's wife for rallies. In fact I bet that might be exactly what this is - a reproduction made by a car collector's wife.
 
Good possibility, Jonathan. It looks pretty well done for hommade, though. Regardless, without tags it could be anything.
 
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