Abergère (French forshepherdess) hat is a flat-brimmed straw hat with a shallow crown, usually trimmed with ribbon and flowers. It could be worn in various ways with the brim folded back or turned up or down at whim. It is also sometimes called amilkmaid hat.[1] It was widely worn in the mid-18th century, and versions may be seen in manyBritish andFrench paintings of the period, such asThe Swing byFragonard, and in portraits byThomas Gainsborough andJohann Zoffany, amongst others. It has been suggested that the hat was named after Madame Bergeret,[2] who is holding a shepherdess-style hat in a Boucher portrait painted c.1766.[3]
A nineteenth century version of the bergère hat formed part of theDolly Varden ensembles popular in the early 1870s, as summed up inAlfred Lee'snovelty songDolly Varden (publishedCleveland, 1872) which contains the lyrics:Have you seen my little girl? She doesn’t wear a bonnet/ She’s got a monstrous flip-flop hat with cherry ribbons on it.[4]
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