Zoar Summer Bonnet c. 1937

Fritz Boehmer rendered this Zoar Summer Bonnet with watercolor. The bonnet, with its woven texture and draped fabric, speaks volumes about the wearer’s identity. Head coverings have, across cultures, signified modesty, piety, or social status. In this plain bonnet, we see echoes of ancient Roman veiling practices. The Vestal Virgins, for instance, wore a head covering called a "suffibulum," not unlike this bonnet, to symbolize their chastity. The bonnet’s form provides a sense of enclosure and protection. It is a psychological barrier as much as a physical one. We must consider the emotional weight such garments carry, influencing how the wearer is perceived and how she interacts with the world. Like the veils of antiquity or the wimples of medieval nuns, this bonnet alters the wearer’s presence, inviting contemplation on concealment and revelation. These simple bonnets of plain material are not a mere fashion statement; they are laden with cultural memory, symbols of continuity, endurance, and a quiet revolution.