Various costume books describe the frontlet as the little loop that is seen at the forhead on a woman's headdress - others describe it as the complete band (perhaps of velvet) which includes the loop and to which the headdress is pinned to. Others again suggest that the frontlet is the turned back section of the hood, but this seems to be for later 'fashions'- Tudor.

Accounts of Henry VIII describe frontlets embroidered with pearls - which to me swings in favour of the turned back fabric - but would this have been the same earlier, or could the name have referred to something else which had evolved by this time?

The following may help...
...By statute 17 Edw. IV., the wives, and daughters unmarried, of persons having possessions of the yearly value of 10 l. and upwards, were permitted to "use and wear frontlettes of blak velvet, or of any other cloth of silk of the colour blak." -- Rot. Parl., vi. 189. Among the entries in the Privy Purse Expenses of Henry the Seventh, is a payment in 1492, of 3 l. 13 s. 4 d. "To the Queen's grace for frontlets" -- and another occasion, of exactly the same sum for "frontlets of gold." -- Add. MS., 7099. In the Privy Purse Expenses of the Princess, afterwards Queen, Mary, is "Payed for a frountlet loste in a wager to my Lady Margaret, iiij li. which must, from the price, have been of gold.
(from: www.r3.org/bookcase/wardrobe/purnote4.html)

However, what really intrigues me, is that if this is the band that is hidden by a headdress, why would it have been so elaborate as to be made of cloth of gold? Or is it perhaps something entirely different to that which standard costume books seem to think?

Hopefully some of you who are more studied in costumes can help! I'd like to make one - a silkwoman is certainly recorded as having supplied a frontlet, so I really should know...

Thanks all!

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There are many other pictures showing these curious black loops. Matter of fact, I don't think I've seen a picture of a woman wearing a hennin that *didn't* have a black loop on the forehead.

Here's a webpage that gives some hypotheses as to what this loop is and shows a picture of the loop attached to a black band WITHOUT a hat pinned to it: http://www.virtue.to/articles/headband.html

I don't know if the word "frontlet" refers to this black loop (presumably of cloth-covered wire) or the black velvet side-flaps that sometimes accompany it. The side flaps would make sense in terms of it being made from cloth of gold. However, the loop often appears when the side flaps do not, though I've never seen it represented as anything other than black.

I'm just beginning to look at this thing in depth, but I have a few ideas. One is that the side flaps aren't attached to the hennin; they are a hood that is worn under the hennin -- perhaps the precusor of the Tudor style we call a French Hood.

I've heard people postulate that the function of this "black band" is to have something to pin the hennin to in order to keep it on the head. While I think this is a good idea, I think we are forgetting something crucial. Medieval women generally wore their hair longer than modern women do. And in portraits of women wearing hennin, we never see hair spilling out of them. This leads me to believe that their hair must be hidden inside the hat. If you braid and coil your hair on top of your head in order to fit it into a hennin, you're not going to lack for something to pin the hat to. I don't think you'd need a band...

I don't know if that helps or muddies the waters more. I find the question intriguing.

Though it is purely speculation on my part, I would tend to think it was akin to a Flemish hood with a design modification or two.

I have a hennin for a "historically based" costume that Gwen made for me back in 1998.

I don't require any pins or combs to keep it on my head. I speculate that the 'side flaps' might be ballast to counter weight the length of the hennin and the veil that hangs from it.

All I can tell you from wearing it, is that after about 3 and half hours, I start to get a wicked tension headache. The silk veil that drapes over my hennin might be the cause. In the photo I think the silk is draped too far back, but then again it was the first time I wore it.

Jenn

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I have to say that I agree that the frontlet must be more than just the loop - I've never seen it depicted in anything other than black either.

The link which shows the bands and loops without a hennin or other headwear, is exactly what I was thinking of - some of those bands are decorated, or woven-in designs, which would then at least tie in with a silkwoman supplying 'frontlets'. I wonder then, if the frontlet is the band, with or without the loop, or side flaps (which would have depended on fashion).

Whereas I agree with you Kass that the side flaps could be separate from the hennin, if its a hood, then my thoughts would be that it would be called a hood as opposed to a frontlet - the word itself seems to imply something that only belongs at the front - remembering of course that I am trying to figure out what a particular silkwoman supplied! But it would make perfect sense that the French Hood would have developed on from this. If it began life as a band, then had flaps added - perhaps made like this - ?

This picture shows a nicely 'destroyed' headdress - complete with simple band - and no visible loop.(I love how her veil has kept its shape!)
(British Library Harley 4425 fo 85)

When I've discussed this with costumiers, the general consensus for using a band underneath most styles of headwear seems to be for two reasons. The first - and no doubt more relevant to modern wearers, is to 'capture' any stray hair and to ensure that it is held tight, regardless of how the hat, hennin, or whatever will move. The other is to counter-act the pulling that gives a headache (I haven't yet worn any type of hennin, so this isn't from experience!) in that by pinning the hennin to the band - which is tied/secured at the base of the head - the weight/pulling is more evenly distributed around the head, making it more comfortable. Pinning to hair, means that the hair in that area will take all of the pressure (such as when you put in a ponytail too tight) and cause headaches.

Saying that, I've met a few who, like Jenn, don't require anything to pin hennins into place, so don't use a band... I wonder if you did, and pinned the hennin to that, whether it would actually relieve the pressure?

When I portrayed a nun with the White Company, we did use the band, which we then pinned both the large linen and wool veils to, as well as the wimple. For that it worked very well.

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I have a friend who worked as a costumer for Seattle Opera. Her specialty is/was millinry.

She made me a hennin. After MUCh consideration of the portraits, she began to think that the loopy bandy thing was a seperate piece.

there are portraits/family trees that show young girls wearing nothing but a black velvet band, with their long hair in a pony tail. In the same painting, you see mom/auntie with a hennin, with the same black loop sticking out.

our extrapolation is that the black band was the foundation for the "grownup" hat.

She made a band, fairly stiff, covered in black velvet with a black velvet covered wire loop. It ties in teh back.

The hennin goes over the top and stays on with friction alone. no combs, no pins.

There's also detatchable "lappets", those long drippy black velvet bits that hang like Goofy's ears . Those are pinned on the hat once its on, and then the veil goes overall.

conclusion:
looks great! looks just like the portrait.

original portrait:

photo of the hat in use (forgive the setting, its an SCA event...):

The lappets probably should have been longer...they keep flipping behind my shoulders (most UN portraitlike). Theres still some tweaking to be done...after wearing it for more than 5 or 6 hrs, it feels like someone taking an icepick to my forehead (we think its because the velvet band does TOO good a job and its pulling on my hairline. A discrete finger under the band now and then relieves the pressure though )

but it sounds like the velvet band/loop infrastructure with the detatchable lappets might be the right path to go...it works for us!! (icepick effect notwithstanding )

next project...one of the "bunny ear" headdresses....
[IMG] http://www.uvm.edu/%7Ehag/sca/15th/ainsworthp97.jpg[/IMG]

15th century womens headdresses are way fun

--AM

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sorry kids!

--AM

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Your picture is brilliant Gina, I especially like the little pillbox with the band. I've been thinking there's something under those veils/coifs to give them some shape, and plan to work on it more when I get back.

I think you need to post a picture of you in your horned headress, as it's positively scrummy.

So, if any of you were to come to one of my events and I were to call the band a 'frontlet', (bearing in mind I always add that I'm not 100% if I'm not!) you'd be ok with that? I would like to try to make something based on the images Kass pointed us to; it would add to my 'display' nicely!

Thanks for the compliments on my horned headdress Gwen! I wanted to be a bit different you see Seriously though, I haven't quite got the knack of the veil right, and this season its been pinned on to the foundation slightly differently

so if anyone has any good ideas I'd be grateful!

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I looked at the properties on the images that AM wanted to post. It is an MSN group. I suspect that like a lot of these sites, they may not like linking.

Probably the best fix is just to put in the URL instead of an Image tag.

http://groups.msn.com/MadroneBaronialWardrobe/annemariesdocumentation.msnw?

Photo of AMs hat in use:

http://groups.msn.com/MadroneBaronialWardrobe/halloffame.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoI D=51

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There is a detail of the relevant parts of the headdress in the Web Museum of Art (Memling Mature Years page 3)
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/m/memling/3mature31/25more3.jpg

However that may not work so try http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/index1.html otherwise ...

Triptych of the Family Moreel (detail)
1484
Oil on wood
Groeninge Museum, Bruges

What's worth noting is the mix of bands (elaborately worked) all with the characteristic loop. This could still be a pin or a fabric loop. ,

I do recall a farily length discussion of French/Flemish Hoods for the C15th a few years ago, I may still have some of the discussion somewhere if you're interested

quote:

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I prefer to use the Web Museum of Art ... lots of very nice images

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Yes - love that site - coincidence I visited early this morning and saved a copy of that picture - thanks Dave
Certainly, some of these bands would 'qualify' as silkwomen's wares, so this is the area I'll start with I think...

quote:

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I do recall a farily length discussion of French/Flemish Hoods for the C15th a few years ago, I may still have some of the discussion somewhere if you're interested

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very interested, if you do.

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Matheron Diptych

FROMENT, Nicolas
Matheron Diptych
1474
Oil on wood
Musée du Louvre, Paris

The woman in the diptych is wearing a hood, which looks suspiciously like the kind of hood that could have been worn in conjunction with the hennin. She is, however, missing the loop at the front. She's also a little older, and wearing more conservative clothing than the wide, v-necked gown, so maybe the fashion is a throwback.

So, here's what I'm thinking. As usual, I'm making things at the last minute. Paston is in 2 weeks (eep!) and I'm not sure I could get a hennin done in time. So, I'm thinking I could make the hood for now, which would probably also be much more comfortable for camping wear, and use it as a base for a hennin later. It looks to me, that it would be acceptable to wear on its own. This, though, would run counter to the theory that the "hood" part of the hennin was just a piece attached to the band, and folded back over the hennin (Gina, thank you for that picture that you drew, it makes perfect sense).

Any thoughts? Advice? I should have no problem getting the gown done for Paston, but I can't wear the same old turban-type arrangement with it - I need a hat! Alternatively, I may look for the right shaped basket/flower pot to cover with wool for a truncated hennin to pin on (because at this point, I have no better guess/millenry skills on how to do this), but then I'll still want the band/loop to help hold it on.

Thanks,
Charlotte

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