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Anightcap is a clothcap worn with othernightwear such aspajamas, aonesie, anightshirt, or anightgown; historically worn in the cold climates ofNorthern Europe. Nightcaps are somewhat similar toknit caps worn for warmth outdoors.
Women's night caps were usually a long piece of cloth wrapped around the head, or a triangular cloth tied under the chin.[1] Men's nightcaps were traditionallypointed hats with a long top, sometimes with apom-pom on the end.[1] The long end could be used like ascarf to keep the back of the neck warm.[1]
From theMiddle Ages to the 20th century, nightcaps were worn inNorthern Europe, such as theBritish Isles andScandinavia, especially during the cold winters beforecentral heating became available.[1] People often tended to think that cold air was harmful and unwholesome to health, so a nightcap protected them, especially if they had areceding hairline or sensitive head, etc.[2]
In theTyburn andNewgate days of British judicialhanging history, the hood used to cover the prisoner's face was a nightcap supplied by the prisoner, if he could afford it.[3]
Nightcaps were worn by many women in theVictorian era, but were seen as old-fashioned by theEdwardian era.[4] Some women still wore nightcaps, similar tomobcaps, to protect their elaborate curly hairstyles that were fashionable.[4] Edwardian men wore nightcaps as well.[5]
In the 1920s and 1930s, theboudoir cap became popular among some European women.
Nightcaps are less commonly worn in modern times, but are often featured in animation and other media, as part of a character'snightwear. Nightcaps became associated with the fictional sleepersEbenezer Scrooge andWee Willie Winkie.[5] The hat has become typical nightwear for a sleeper especially in comical drawings or cartoons along with children's stories, plays, and films.[citation needed]
People with curly andAfro-textured hair often wear a form of night cap to protect their hair while sleeping, typically a silk or satin wrap orbonnet.[6][7]
