Can you point me to paintings / info on mid 14th C (1340-1360) head coverings? I'm mostly interested in middle class stuff, not anything crazy or upper class.

Thank you!

Middle class 14th century is really difficult because most of the art is still very much religious and the depictions of women that you are seeing is still very much Mary and her associates. Here's what I've found so far, I'll let you decide how useful it is... I've divided it up into sections of earlier than what you asked for, the time period that you asked for, and later than you asked for. One area that I feel is rather lacking in this list is manuscripts, but I'll leave that to another time.

GIOTTO di Bondone, Italian painter, Florentine school (b. 1267, Vespignano, d. 1337, Firenze)
I know Giotto is much earlier than you are looking for but there is lots of stuff by him and lots having to do with the life of mary and therefore lots of women depicted, and I really couldn't resist the ladies with the cool braids and pill box hats.
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/html/g/giotto/index.html
No. 6 Scenes from the Life of Joachim: 6. Meeting at the Golden Gate (detail)
1304-06 Fresco, 76,5 cm (full fresco: 200 x 185 cm Cappella Scrovegni (Arena Chapel), Padua
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/g/giotto/padova/1joachim/joachi61.jpg

MASTER of Saint Cecilia, Italian painter, Florentine school (active 1300-20 in Florence)
Saint Cecilia Altarpiece c. 1304
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/m/master/cecilia/cecilia.jpg
Uffizi image
http://www.arca.net/uffizi/img/449.jpg

The Hours of Jeanne d'Évreux, ca. 1324-1328
For me it's mostly the marginalia that I spend time looking at. It's hard to tell how much is fantastic and how much is useful, but it's lots of fun.
http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/view1.asp?dep=7&full=0&item=54%2E1%2E2

DADDI, Bernardo (1280-1348) Italian painter (Florence)
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/daddi_bernardo.html
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/html/d/daddi/index.html
The Martyrdom of St Stephen 1324
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/d/daddi/stephen.jpg
Arrival of Saint Ursula at Cologne 1330
http://www.getty.edu/art/collections/objects/oz622.html
A Crowned Virgin Martyr (St. Catherine of Alexandria), circa 1340
http://206.14.230.204/imagebase2-200/782231233164/images/7822312331640012.jpg

LORENZETTI, Ambrogio, Italian painter, Sienese school (b. cca. 1290, Siena, d. 1348, Siena)
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/lorenzetti_ambrogio.html
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/html/l/lorenzet/ambrogio/index.html
Frescoes of the Good and Bad Government, 1338-40, Palazzo Pubblico, Siena
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/html/l/lorenzet/ambrogio/governme/index.html
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/l/lorenzet/ambrogio/governme/2effect4.jpg
Scenes from the Life of St. Nicholas, 1330
http://www.arca.net/uffizi/img/8348-9.jpg
http://sunsite.dk/cgfa/l/p-alorenzetti1.htm

GADDI, Taddeo, Italian painter, Florentine school (b. 1300, Firenze, d. 1366, Firenze)
Life of the Virgin, 1328-30, Fresco, Cappella Baroncelli, Santa Croce, Florence
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/g/gaddi/taddeo/_0chapel.jpg

PISANO, Andrea, Italian sculptor (active c. 1290-1349 in Pisa)
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/html/p/pisano/andrea/index.html
Weaver, 1337-42, Relief, Campanile, Duomo, Florence
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/p/pisano/andrea/0mechani.jpg
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/p/pisano/andrea/3weave.jpg
Santa Reparata- Marble, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Florence
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/p/pisano/andrea/reparata.jpg
South doors of the Baptistry in Florence; 1330 Gilded bronze Baptistry, Florence
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/html/p/pisano/andrea/south_d/index.html
Birth of the Baptist
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/p/pisano/andrea/south_d/3birth_b.jpg
The Visitation
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/p/pisano/andrea/south_d/3visitat.jpg

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BARNA DA SIENA (active 1340-60) Italian painter, Sienese school
The Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine, 1340
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/b/barna/mystic_m.jpg

LORENZETTI, Pietro, Italian painter, Sienese school (b. cca. 1280, Siena, d. 1348, Siena)
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/html/l/lorenzet/pietro/index.html
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/lorenzetti_pietro.html
Crucifixtion scene - some amount of crowd but mostly men
The Birth of Mary, 1342, Tempera on wood, 188 x 183 cm, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Siena
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/l/lorenzet/pietro/7birth_m.jpg

BASSA, Ferrer, Spanish painter (active 1324-1348)
Three Women at the Tomb, c. 1346, Fresco, Monastery of Pedralbes, Barcelona
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/b/bassa/ferrer/3women.jpg

Taddeo Gaddi, Florence 1300-1366
Madonna and Child Enthroned; Tempera on wood, 154x80
Signed and dated 1355,
http://www.arca.net/uffizi/img/Ap027.jpg

NARDO DI CIONE, Italian painter, Florentine school (active 1343-66)
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/html/n/nardo/index.html
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/nardo_di_cione.html
Last Judgment, 1350s, Fresco, Cappella Strozzi, Santa Maria Novella, Florence
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/n/nardo/lastjudg.jpg

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GIOVANNI da Milano; Italian painter (active 1350-69, Milano, Firenze)
The Birth of the Virgin, 1365, Fresco, Rinuccini Chapel, Santa Croce, Florence
Braids and Veils
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/g/giovanni/milano/birth.jpg
Ognissanti Polyptych; Tempera on wood, 132x39 each panel; 49x39 each scene
Painted for the high altar of the church of Ognissanti around 1360 or immediately afterwards.
http://www.arca.net/uffizi/img/459.jpg

GIOTTINO (Giotto di Stefano), Italian painter, Florentine school (c. 1324-1369)
Pietà 1360-65, tempera on panel, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
Uffizi image - http://www.arca.net/uffizi/img/454.jpg
CFGA image - http://sunsite.dk/cgfa/g/p-giottin1.htm

ANDREA DA FIRENZE, Italian painter, Florentine school (active 1343-1377, Firenze)
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/html/a/andrea/firenze/index.html
The Church Militant and Triumphant, 1365-68, Fresco
Cappella Spagnuolo, Santa Maria Novella, Florence
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/a/andrea/firenze/right.jpg
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/a/andrea/firenze/church.jpg
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/a/andrea/firenze/church_d.jpg
Christ Bearing the Cross to Calvary, 1365-68
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/a/andrea/firenze/calvary.jpg

BIONDO, Giovanni del, Italian painter, Florentine school (active 1356-1392 in Florence)
Altarpiece of the Baptist, 1360-70, Tempera on panel, Contini Bonacossi Collection, Florence
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/b/biondo/baptist.jpg

GIUSTO de' Menabuoi
Italian painter, Florentine school (b. cca. 1320, Firenze, d. 1391, ?)
Marriage at Cana, 1376-78, Fresco, Baptistry, Cathedral, Padua
okay, not much on hats but really cool feast scene,
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/g/giusto/cana.jpg
The Coronation of the Virgin, and Other Scenes, 1367 (NG701)
The central panel shows Christ crowning the Virgin; while on the left shutter is the Nativity, on the right, the Crucifixion. Above are the Archangel Gabriel and the Virgin Annunciate. The spandrels are filled with gilded glass.
The reverse of the shutters shows scenes from the Birth and Life of the Virgin.
http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/WebMedia/Images/70/NG701/efNG701.jpg
http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/WebMedia/Images/70/NG701/erNG701.jpg

ALTICHIERO da Zevio
Italian painter, Veronese school (b. cca. 1330, Zevio, d. cca. 1390, Verona)
really nice crowd scenes.
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/html/a/altichie/index.html

JEAN DE LIEGE, French sculptor (active 1361-1382)
Jeanne d'Évreux and Charles IV, 1370-72, Marble, Musée du Louvre, Paris
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/j/jean/liege/evreux.jpg

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I'd also try the gothic page on 1200 years of Italian sculpture
http://www.thais.it/scultura/gotica.htm

Book Topics I'd look for:
Peter Parler (German, 1330-1399)
Frescoes in Florence
Santa Maria Novella - Cappella Spagnuolo, Cappella Strozzi
Santa Croce - Cappella Baroncelli
Sienese Painting

Mitake.

I need a mid 14th C. headress because I got my Greenland pattern worked out (it's being graded even as we speak), so I need to have an appropriate headdress to offer with it.

Thanks for your help- I had no idea you would post so much stuff!!!!!

BTW, the RedCo. gal that I told you about saw and bought your silk pouch. I told you I thought she might...

Thanks again!

I also looked through the scans we've done out of Stothard so far. I pulled head shots and details for the women and compiled them on to a webpage which can be found at http://users.vnet.net/burts/anna/14chair.html .

What I'm noticing is that the younger women have dressed hair with a veil but no visible coif and no gorget.

Older women seem to have something (I'm assuming a sort of coif) visible across their forehead like a nun, a gorget covering the throat and upper breast and veil.

Any ideas what that coif thing looks like? Think it's a barbette?

Somethings I've noticed:
- Wedding scenes seem to have the bride's attendants with uncovered, loose, flowing hair as well as the bride, the bride wears a crown of some sort. Probably symbol of madienhood, would be consistent with the multitudes of virgin saints with loose hair.
- Hairnets seem to be evident in English and French depictions but not in Italian.
- Having something under the chin seems to be a fashion of older women, but not all older women seem to participate (death of the knight of celano)
- There are lots of ways to place your braids which look fun.
- Women often seem to have some effort directed at keeping their hair off the neck.

As to the thing across the forehead. I think the wall painting from Chalgrove gives the best explaination, a band that holds the gorgette. Often covered with a veil, sometimes not. Much more pleasant to pin to a band areound you head than to your head itself.

Mitake.

Thanks again for the help. I'll send you a copy of the pattern as a "Thank you!"

There are also a couple of pictures in Textiles and Clothing (MOL) that come from manuscript marginalia that might be useful for this purpose.

Mitake.