Poke bonnet

item details

NamePoke bonnet

ProductionJames Robson Millinery and Lace Depot; manufacturer(s); circa 1840; Newcastle

Classificationcostume, bonnets, headgear

Materialssilk, cane, taffeta

DimensionsOverall: 270mm (width), 250mm (height), 260mm (length)

Registration NumberPC002084

Credit lineGift of Mrs Barbara Atkinson & Miss Anne Burnett, 1982

Overview

This bonnet was made to be part of Mary Burnett's 'going away' outfit - an outfit worn by a bride as she leaves her wedding with her new husband. However, when Mary immigrated to New Zealand with her family in 1852 she was still single, having left behind a broken engagement to a clergyman in Northumberland, North East England.

The Burnett Family sailed from London, England, on 24 May 1852 on the Clipper Barque 'Joseph Fletcher', arriving in Auckland, New Zealand, three months later.

Mary Burnett's outfit
The outfit comprises a silk taffeta dress recycled from another garment, and this matching bonnet, which was very similar to the one Queen Victoria of England wore in 1840 for her own 'going away'. Mary Burnett's outfit also includes a matching pair of shoes.

The ensemble is part of a collection of nineteenth-century clothing that the Burnett Family donated to the National Museum in 1982.