Women's muslin hat veil
Date1900 - 1920
Object number00018335
NameVeil
MediumMuslin
DimensionsOverall: 1060 x 250 mm, 0.05 kg
ClassificationsClothing and personal items
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionThis navy blue muslin veil is gathered at the center with a blue button and would have originally sat over the crown of a sun hat. Used by women in the early twentieth century to protect their complexions from the harsh Australian climate, muslin veils also kept flies and insects at bay.
HistoryBy the early 1900s a thriving tourist industry had become well established around the seaside towns of Australia. The beach had become a place for rest and recreation.
Many women took up the fashionable pursuit of promenading along the shore.
Wearing the 'uniform' of a white day dress, decorated with a white sash and accessorised with veils, hats and parasols, to protect precious complexions from the harsh Australian sun, women enjoyed being ladies of leisure.
SignificanceThis muslin hat veil is a rare surviving example of the accessories worn by Edwardian women when visiting the Australian seaside in the early 1900s. 
1890s-1900s
late 19th Century
1890 - 1910
1890 - 1910
