Bonnet, Europe, c. 1863, straw and horsehair
At a time when women of fashion wore hats every day (along with gloves and corsets), the concept of the Easter bonnet was a vestige of the centuries-old tradition of wearing new clothes on Easter. New clothes symbolized renewal; on a more practical level, they welcomed warmer weather, and advertised one's wealth and fashionability. The annual Easter parade on New York's Fifth Avenue began in the 1870s and continued into the mid-20th century; other American cities developed their own versions of this lavish tradition.
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