Strange Headgear!

[Daft Bat]

My friend Tim has sent me the following message:

A different type of conundrum this time…the odd virtually unreadable names on the back of some…but more interesting to me are the two children with the very unusual headgear ….it’s possible that the 8 silhouettes are of the same family but done by different hands…at least two and possibly three…they might be English they might be continental…who knows but why are two of them wearing this type of headgear and why and where from…
Wondering if the gang might enjoy this for a change .

Although there are 8 silhouettes, I am just posting pictures of the two with the headgear.

Any ideas as to what they might be?

Thanks.

 

[Archie's Mum]

The ribbon on the girls hat looks tartan.

 

[Daft Bat]

Forgot to add - the date is about 1805.

 

[mugwortismy cat]

Are they not Tam O'Shanter hats with embellishment?

 

[Daft Bat]

Are they not Tam O'Shanter hats with embellishment?

No idea, but they certainly could be.

I must admit that I have not seen anything like then before.

 

[Archie's Mum]

Are they not Tam O'Shanter hats with embellishment?

That’s what I keep coming back to. A mix of tam and turban. Children of Scottish soldier in India…home made by servant or Mum?

 

[Archie's Mum]

The more I look at them, the more I see tams.

 

[Archie's Mum]

Jacobite Blue Bonnet? The ribbon looks like tartan but the hat itself isn’t. Could be knitted or felted.

 

[Archie's Mum]

Do the children have names on the back…..readable or unreadable?

 

[Daft Bat]

Do the children have names on the back…..readable or unreadable?

No idea. I will ask Tim what - if any - writing is there.

 

[Daft Bat]

The following are written on the reverse but are almost illegible...

 

[Archie's Mum]

First one looks like Gertrude

 

[Daft Bat]

First one looks like Gertrude

That's what Tim thought.

 

[Archie's Mum]

To me it seems that the portraits were painted on the one paper, later cut to separate but the name on the back is actually one person written on before separating….so Gertrude Bas/Bal ? (as surname). Perhaps their mother.

 

[MollyMay]

I can offer no suggestion, but one thing bothers me - why have the hats got straps? It doesn't appear to be ribbon as there is no bow, but on both children there appears to be a line from the hat under the chin, suggesting to me that the hats were rigid rather than soft, and perched on their head rather than held on by some sort of unseen ribbing, that you might get in a soft woollen/cloth hat.
It could, of course just be the size of the hats that required them to be held in place.

 

[Archie's Mum]

I can offer no suggestion, but one thing bothers me - why have the hats got straps? It doesn't appear to be ribbon as there is no bow, but on both children there appears to be a line from the hat under the chin, suggesting to me that the hats were rigid rather than soft, and perched on their head rather than held on by some sort of unseen ribbing, that you might get in a soft woollen/cloth hat.
It could, of course just be the size of the hats that required them to be held in place.

I do agree there are chin straps but I think there is a band or ribbing around the lower edge, particularly on the first one. Not sure if I’m seeing what I want to see but their tops seem to be plaid as well.

 

[AnnB]

I can offer no suggestion, but one thing bothers me - why have the hats got straps? It doesn't appear to be ribbon as there is no bow, but on both children there appears to be a line from the hat under the chin, suggesting to me that the hats were rigid rather than soft, and perched on their head rather than held on by some sort of unseen ribbing, that you might get in a soft woollen/cloth hat.
It could, of course just be the size of the hats that required them to be held in place.

I agree Sue, I noticed the chin-straps and it made me think of some type of military connection, but as they are obviously children ......

The thing that's annoying me is that I'm sure I've seen a similar type of 'hat' somewhere. My immediate thought was that it was Persian or similar, but I can't find anything that matches. I even toyed with the idea that the markings on the clothes looked like Arabic writing, but I think I'm letting my thoughts get away from me

 

[MollyMay]

My immediate thought was that it was Persian or similar,

Great minds and all that it was my first thought as well, I even looked at the 'King and I' with Yul Brynner as I was convinced I had seen similar headgear in the film - I was wrong , well in the clips I found there wasn't.

 

[AnnB]

Great minds and all that it was my first thought as well, I even looked at the 'King and I' with Yul Brynner as I was convinced I had seen similar headgear in the film - I was wrong , well in the clips I found there wasn't.

Yep, I went down the King and I road too ….

 

[mugwortismy cat]

Well the Afhani cap called pakol did come to mind