🍃 Natural materials! Historical inspiration! Elevate your medieval ensemble with this exquisite Double Horned Hennin – a timeless headpiece straight from the 15th century. Crafted meticulously from felt and brocade with historical pattern, this hat stands tall, divided into two distinct horns that capture the essence of medieval elegance. Concealed beneath a luxurious silk veil and wimple, delicately adorned with five lustrous freshwater pearls 🦪, this hennin sits gracefully atop the head, its shape reminiscent of a gently fluttering heart, drawing admiration with every movement. ✨ 🛒 Visit our shop on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/pl/shop/SPESMedievalMarket 📝 Key Features ◾ Authentic Design: Recreated faithfully from historical designs, perfect for historical reenactments or themed events. ◾ Premium Material: The base is made from felt for durability and authenticity. The outer patterned layer is brocade. ◾ Exquisite Veil: Silk veil attached to the horns, embellished with a captivating freshwater pearl. ◾ Complete Set: Includes a silk wimple with natural pearls secured to the hennin with pins, offering additional neck coverage for a complete medieval look. ❗️ The offer applies only to the set of hennin hat with veil and wimple and two pins for attaching. If you would like to buy accessories from the pictures, please check our Etsy shop or send a request. 📜 Hennin in the Middle Ages In the 15th century, the horned hennin style emerged as a fashionable headwear choice. These headpieces varied in style. Typically adorned with a veil, they were positioned at the back of the head, emphasizing a prominent forehead. Hennins gained popularity in France and Burgundy and became a favored accessory at the English courts. In medieval times, married women adorned themselves with the wimple, an essential element of their attire. This versatile piece, often crafted from exquisite white fabric, such as linen or silk, was known for its ability to enhance the beauty of a woman's face while gracefully covering the neck. Embrace the allure of the medieval era with our Double Horned Hennin, an embodiment of sophistication and history. Elevate your attire and captivate onlookers with this iconic headpiece fit for noblewomen of the past.

Being a trial member of the 14th century re-enactment group Fraternis Militia Carnis I was invited to the carnival at the annular meeting. I decided to dress up as a popular medieval saint, Catheri…

This will be a long and rambeling blogpost since it mainly consists of a research paper entered in the Kingdom Arts and Science competition...

From simple barbettes, crespines, and wimples worn in Anglo-Saxon times to the pillbox hat popularized by Jackie Kennedy in the mid-twentieth century, hats and headdresses have — for centuries — played an important part of a lady's wardrobe. This informative and meticulously researched book provides an authentic record of more than 1,300 years of changing fashions in women's hairstyles and headwear in England.More than 400 of the author's own drawings — rendered from ancient sources — trace these evolving fashions. Finely detailed images depict turbans; horned, heart-shaped, and butterfly headdresses preferred by fifteenth-century English ladies; seventeenth-century hoods and veils; elaborate hats and hairstyles of the Georgian period; early Victorian-era bonnets; net and lace caps and small hats of the late nineteenth century; and the emancipated look in both hairstyles and hat styles of the early twentieth century.The author has written a separate introduction for each historical period, placing headdresses and hairstyles in the fashionable context of their time. Pages of drawings are accompanied by detailed notes on the styles illustrated, including information on the materials used and the varying methods of manufacture. A brief glossary and bibliography add to the book's effectiveness. For those who want to get their historical details accurate, this profusely illustrated guide will be an invaluable reference. "Designers for any media and students of history will use and enjoy the book." (Choice). "Remarkably entertaining." (The Economist)

This will be a long and rambeling blogpost since it mainly consists of a research paper entered in the Kingdom Arts and Science competition held at Drachenwalds Spring Crown Tourney of this year. I have edited it a bit after going through my judge´s very thorough comments. So take a deep breath before you take the plunge... Portrait of Barbara Dürer, née Holper, attributed to Albrecht Dürer, c 1490 when she would have been around 39. Oil on oak panel, 47 cm x 36 cm. Germanisches Nationalmuseum,Nuremberg. As I have dabbled with late 15th century german garb for some years now and having a keen interest in all forms of headwear, the stranger the better, I have come to the conclusion that the simple square linen veil with pleats in one end, really doesn´t seem as accurate. I have done them as well as many others that have studied the period art. Looking at pictures like Albrecht Dürer´s portrait of Barbara Dürer above, it clearly shows that it cannot be a simple square veil with sewn pleats. It could surely be something completely different, more like the headgear consisting of an evolved hood, worn with the facing against the forehead and the liripipe reformed to make a vimple. Or is it simply a long veil, wrapped around the head, thus creating the pleats over the forehead and then simply folded in the middle in the loose hanging part? And that part can also be used as a wrap over the chin, pinned in the back of the neck. There might be different ways in creating similar but somewhat differing looks (differing in details as the shape of the vimple, the use of pleats over the forehead or not, with or without the bulging Vulst in the back…) Here comes a short dictionary of terms in German that I will use: The Vächer, the pleated part over the forehead, comes in many variations. The Vulsthaube is the headdress with a bulge creating height and width, in the like of a mushroom. The Steuchlien is the veil covering the head, a name mostly used in Nürnberg for the Vulsthaube Schleier – the veil covering the head, an earlier headdress than the haube The Gefrens, the fringe of string/yarn hanging in the neck My main focus of interest in this article is the more simple styles of veils, with or without Vächer, mostly called schleier in German, thus differing them from Haubes, that is easier to wear, since it consists of a cap of some sort (there are many many different Haubes). I will show some examples where a Vulst seems to be used underneath for comparison. It ranges over the last two decades of the 15th c and into the first decade of the 16th c. My aim is to discuss different versions of this headdress, try some of my theories on possible ways to make them and, if possible, see if there is a clear line of evolution over time. I will try to discuss materials as well and the main source I will use is period artwork. Some background info, mainly taken from the book “Textiler Hausrat – Kleidung und Haustextilien in Nürnberg von 1500-1650” by Jutta Zander-Seidel, will also be used since she discusses the written sources, mainly wills and dress regulations. It states for instance that the Schleier were worn long into the 16th C, but being out of fashion only by modest married women and in more rural areas, were the aim to keep up with high fashion was not that important[1]. Even if her time range is later than mine, the terminology and the sources are of great value for this article as well. Schleier with Vächer in the artwork The early examples in period art seem to be rather flat, without the Vulst or with just the wearers own braids used to fill out the veil. This is an early depiction, showing simple wrapped layers of what looks like a long rectangular veil with a golden-yellow frilled edge. Begegnung an der goldenen Pforte 1438-1440 Here is a good example of a very simple and plain one, giving me a lot of information on the possible ways to create this. It stands clear to me that it is a simple veil in one piece, wrapped one time around the head and then left to hang down over the shoulder. . Oberrheinischer Meister: Die Geburt Mariens. 1460/65 The construction of Vächer Looking closer on the pleats it seems that it, in some of the more elaborate cases at least, might not be sewn as a part of the veil at all but made as a separate piece. This makes it possible to reuse the pleated piece and changing the veil. Looking closely at the portrait of Barbara Dürer one can make out some kind of decoration pinning just over the pleated part, suggesting it being pinned or stitched together thus making it into two separate pieces, or a way to hold the wrapped layers together. In Textiler Hausrat it is stated that the overlapping pleats/striped layers were named “vach” and held together with punctuating stitches, clearly shown in period art. And there is a dress regulation stating that if a woman living in the town wore more than six “vach” she would have to pay a fine. Even so, there are a number of examples showing up to ten “vach”[2]. On that thought, given the amount of work a pleated and most likely starched frontpiece takes, I would think it must have been worn over something simpler covering the hair and protecting the pleated and starched part from getting greasy and worn. I have however not found anything implying this in Textiler Hausrat. When comparing to the earlier and more west-oriented fashion of frilled veils, it is clear that the frontpieces were sewn onto the veil and starched to keep in shape. Isis Sturtewegen writes in her thesis on frilled veils that the fashion was well spread across Europe around the later half of the 14th C, and after 1460 it started to disappear as a noble fashion, but still being used by wealthy townswomen[3]. The evolution of the “vächer” seems to follow the same pattern. First it is high fashion among the wealthiest and then it is kept in the fashion by the wealthy burgerclass in the towns, to eventually fade out of fashion entirely. I will not do the huge work that Isis Sturtewegen did, comparing iconography of some 200 pictures/statues etc just from the Low Countries to form a typology and a timeline[4], but settle for making some iconographic comparisons, thus forming a theory of types and timeline. And from this thought I have given a lot of thinking into how to best make the pleats, to get that full and a bit more “built-up” look you see when browsing period artwork. When having done my early attempts of pleated veils, I tried to not use as much fabric, thus the single pleats just barely covers the previous one. Now I will have to try to pleat the forehead-covering piece with pleats that begin big and successfully decreases in width, thus building on the height just as much as lengthwise. On this picture it definetly looks like that has been done, and then the pleats are fastened to the Steuchlien by two parallel rows of stitches. Albrecht Dürer, Nürnberg woman dressed for dancing In this picture the wimple part is wrapped around the head and thus covering the chin as well, and the pleats look like they are either pinned or stitched to the Steuchlien. Master of the Housebook of Castle Wolfegg, Last quarter of the 15th C, showing hair and using the gefrens Here you clearly see a bit of the white Steuchlien hanging down and covering the neck, on top of the gefrens. Master of the Housebook, Showing hair but without the gefrens In this next portrait of Ursula Tucher the pleats are tiny but building up quite a bit before the vulst. Looks pinned together, with the little pinheads clearly visible. This could be a way to simply hold the layers together or indicate a separate pleated piece over the forehead with a plain veil fastened to it and then wrapped around the head and chin. The backpart of the Steuchlien is also partly visible hanging down in the neck. Michael Wolgemut - Portrait of Ursula Tucher, 1478 Tiny tiny pleats en masse, not likely something you re-do after the wash. Unless it is simply wrapped,but I find it unlikely that one did wrap ten layers or more. The schleier would probably be rather bulky and unflattering, and this is not the case in the depictions of Albrecht Dürer and others. This will be shown in my later experiments. In this following picture it looks like it is wrapped around the head, forming pleats, and then used as chin-wrap and finally, wrapped up around the head and fastened with some pins. The height and width looks like it is created with simple wrapped layers and not a vulst. You can clearly see that the chin-part is folded in the middle and even pinned/stitched along the edge under the chin. Since it is a common trait with the fastening stitches, I wonder if that would make the schleier stick together in the wash. But considering how linen was washed during old times I doubt it. And on that note, the known materials for schleier, taken from the Nürnberg testimonies, are linen and cotton[5]. I would think they were washed in similar fashion, since both materials can take heat and beating without suffering from it like a silk or wool would. Schweiz, Maria und Engel der Verkündigung, detail, ca 1470, now in the Bavarian National Museum in Muenchen (Photo by Elsa Hahma) Here is a rather simple version, clearly wrapped in four layers over the forehead, then folded double and wrapped around the chin and head. And it looks rather bulky with just four layers. For science I did cut and hem a five metre long veil, that would be long enough for it to be wrapped six times around my head, forming six Vächer, and then enough to form a vimple hanging over the shoulder or wrapped around the chin. It was rather difficult to wrap it in front of the mirror, since the amount of fabric being handled, it tangling around me like a toga and then, when all was on top of the head I fastened the Vächer with four pins over the forehead. The veil was certainly to wide, since it bulked up way too much fabric in the back, but I did manage to wrap it in forming a large bulb in the back. (Note – this headwear is not for driving. It is very difficult trying to hold your head straight in a car seat, I had to pull back the back of the seat in order for my now rather large head to fit in the car without me having to hit my head on the steering wheel.) Zwei Wunder aus der Kindheit des hl. Nikolaus, Hans Traut Nurnberg, End of 15 C (Photo by Elsa Hahma) In this picture it looks like a number of layers simply wrapped around the head and the loose hanging part is folded in the middle. Portrait of a Woman of the Hofer Family, artist unknown, c. 1470 There are also a number of Schleier with frilled edges and Vächer, somewhat a combination of the earlier fashion with the frilled veils and the later ones with Vächer. There is also a geographic difference since frills is predominantly used in the western parts of Europe and the Vächer more in the German speaking cultures. In this portrait the Schleiers is supported by a Vulsthaube of a rather unusual shape, the edges are frilled and it is definetly pinned or stitched together. It seems that the part hanging down in the back is also pinned/stitched along the edge so that it will hang neatly together. Hair showing and the use of the Gefrens Portrait of a Burgerfrau Sebald Bopp attributed, 1475 A number of portraits and the main part of women depicted in the Hausbook of Castle Wolfegg part of the hair, braided, is shown over the temples and hiding the ears. The use of the Gefrens, the little fringe of string covering the back of the neck, seems to be the fashion, often seen in combination with the Vächer (pleated Steuchleins), but it does not seem to be used when the Vulst comes into use. I would say, after having studied this in many pictures covering the period 1440-1510, that the Gefrens falls out of use as the Vulst gets popular in the last decades before 1500. The same goes for showing of hair/braids over the temples and ears, it too is not to be seen in combination with the Vulst and is also seen in the earlier decades and fades away towards the end of the 15th C. Pair of lovers, Master BXG, detail, Germany, 1470-1490 15th century (1486?) Germany Basel, Universitätsbibliothek, AN II 3: Matriculation Register of the Rectorate of the University of Basel, Volume 1 (1460-1567) fol.69v - Rektorat von Ludwig Odertzheym, SS 1486; coat of arms Wrapped layers? Lägg till Detail from the Birth of Mary, 1490-1510, Ansbach, Germany (Schwanenritteraltar, St. Gumbertus) Another possible solution is wrapping a long band of hemmed linen fabric to create the “pleats”. Like the well known picture of Mary Magdalene by Rogier van der Weyden. Just compare these two pictures and you will see what I mean. Rogier van der WEYDEN. St Mary Magdalene 1450s Silverpoint on prepared paper Steuchliens without pleats and using patterned fabrics There are also variations showing Steuchliens without the pleats, using other elements of decoration, and being used with or without the Vulst. Here are some examples: Wife of Dr. Johann Stephan Reuss - Lucas Cranach the Elder In this portrait it looks more like a woven piece with black (or dark blue) and red stripes. It looks like it is simply tied in a knot in the back and then the longer wimple-piece is folded and pinned in the back instead of hanging down. And in the following it is a thin three stripes in black on the veil. Anonymous German Artist active in Swabia ca. 1480 Portrait of a Woman Testing theories According to sumptuary laws one was not allowed more than six Vächer (folds) in a headdress in Nuremberg[6]. Obviously this was not obeyed, as can be seen in the picturematerial provided earlier. I have some different theories to try concerning construction of Vächer. First I want to try the simple wrap a really long veil around your head letting the hem form Vächer. So I started with a long light-weight linen veil, long enough to wrap six laps and leaving a vimple to hang around the neck. This meant that I had to hem about 5,5 metres of veil. Then the veil turned out too wide, so I had to cut it down and re-hem it down one side. It is not easy to wrap it neatly around the head either, the length of it lying in a heap on the floor. And the weight is a strain on the neck with just the six Vächer. It also is very hard to get that very neat and tight row of pleats as I have shown in the period art examples. Jutta Sander-Zeidel describes these Schleier as finely layered pleats referred to as Vach/Vächer and also states that they are held together by a punctuating fastening of some kind[7]. Some of the depictions I have shown indicated pins, others might be either a single or multiple rows of stitches. Considering these findings I am convinced that any headdress showing more than six Vächer needs to be constructed otherwise. I mean, in some of those pictures the lady is wearing up to 20 or more Vächer. Even if you made it in silk it would be a huge amount of fabric that you have to manuever around your head. So I had to look for other options in order to get that look with a stack of pleats over the forehead. A separate section with just the pleats seemed to be a promising thing to try, better than the widespread used solution on sewn pleats at the end of a veil that I, as well as many others, have used. First I will show a few examples of my tryouts to get the right look with the pleated veil. First picture shows the plain rather square veil with pleats at one end, folded over the forehead, pinned in the back and then simply tucked in. The second picture shows additional long veils wrapped on top of the pinned pleated veil. It works but does not really add up for me. I favour the use of gefrens and braids showing over the ears. So back to the drawing board. I wanted to get the look of stacked pleats and when discussing this with Meisterinne Katheryn we both agreed that a separate piece, pinned or basted onto a small cap, with or without a vulst, would be a logical solution. Then the cap can be washed while the pleated piece can be kept in good condition, maybe even starched to keep the shape. That also gives you the ability to use the piece with or without the vulst or with different caps. I started with hemming a lot of linen strips, stacking them up and then basting them together to form a neat little row of pleats. I formed the basted stack of pleats into a piece and fastened it all together at the sides. Then I went on to construction of some kind of cap to pin/baste it too. I decided to try with a very simple version of a vulst, a piece of linen rolled around some wool yarn forming a padded roll at one end. Then I formed it in the sides with a simple gathering and finally stitched on a band to tie it with. But since tying it with a knot would not go well with putting a veil on top I decided to pin the tiebands together over the forehead instead. The vulst leaves the back of the head uncovered. With a smaller veil wrapped and pinned on top the separate vächer looks rather neat and it is so much more comfortable and easier to wear then the 5,5 meters of veil. This will also work very well with a longer veil hanging down in the neck and forming a vimple as well. So the 5,5 meter veil will most likely not live very long but will be divided into two or maybe even three long veils, to be used on top of this separate Vächer-piece. Sources: Sturtewegen, Isis “”Een gouwen rync ende een ransse" : de gerimpelde hoofddoek in het modelandschap van de Lage Landen der late middeleeuwen : een interdisciplinaire studie”, Master thesis (Ghent University, 2009) Zander-Seidel, Jutta “Textiler Hausrat – Kleidung und Haustextilien in Nürnberg von 1500-1650, München 1990 [1] Zander-Seidel 1990, pp 112-113 [2] Zander-Seidel 1990, p 110 [3] Sturtewegen 2008-2009, p 2 [4] Sturtewegen 2008-2009. p 2 [5] Zander-Seidel 1990, pp 110-111 [6] Zander-Seidel 1990, p 110 [7] Zander-Seidel 1990, p 110

This will be a long and rambeling blogpost since it mainly consists of a research paper entered in the Kingdom Arts and Science competition...

This will be a long and rambeling blogpost since it mainly consists of a research paper entered in the Kingdom Arts and Science competition...

The trendy thing at the moment among re-enactors seems to be the frilled veil. Everyone makes one and after my try last year with my non starched frilled veil I was very exited to make a new veil. …

I hope this will help with your reenactments and fanart. :) Anglo-Saxon (600 – 1154): Simple Veils, Head-tires, Combs, and Pin Norman (1066-1154): Couvre-chef, hair uncovered, and extreme...

I've been doing some research on fashionable headwear for ladies in the 15th Century. Keeping hair hygienic during this period of history was next to impossible, so the simplest solution was to cover it altogether. It was around this time that a greater variety of headdresses were seen, such as the caul - a netted ovaloid form on either side of the head. There were also the padded roll headdresses - tubes of fabric manipulated and curved into various shapes. Perhaps most famous is the henin, which forms the basis of the iconic 'princess hat'. Hugo van der Goes' "Portinari triptych" (detail of Mary Portinary, right wing) 1479 This is an example of the henin, a cone shaped hat usually with a veil draped from the top. Petrus Christus, c.1450 - Detail from Portrait of a Female Donor There was also a cut-off version called the truncated henin, a sort of decorated fez with two wire antennae projecting off the front to the back of the head which supported the veil. A detail from King René's tournament book. This method of supporting a veil became increasingly dramatic leading to the butterfly henin, the antennae come from the top and are angled down, creating a scaffolding for multiple layers of veiling. The reticulated design (meaning diamond pattern) on the cone itself was very popular throughout all styles of headdresses. There are no surviving examples of headdresses from this period so it cannot be said for sure how they made them or what they made them from. However it is quite likely that they used wires to create the antennae. As for the materials used in creating the rigid cones they may have used a form of stiffened felt or possibly bundles of reed. Certainly the Tudors are known to have used reed to bone corsets so it is not unreasonable to suggest this. I think the henin in all its forms is inspiring and I have been inspired to make one. I have drawn up a basic pattern for a truncated henin and next I will make it up in fabric to test it out.

This will be a long and rambeling blogpost since it mainly consists of a research paper entered in the Kingdom Arts and Science competition...

This will be a long and rambeling blogpost since it mainly consists of a research paper entered in the Kingdom Arts and Science competition...

This will be a long and rambeling blogpost since it mainly consists of a research paper entered in the Kingdom Arts and Science competition...

I thought thought that I would share with you how I put on my veil and wimple, my modern me have short hair, bangs and piercings, very non medieval of me. I start of by braiding the front part of m…

This will be a long and rambeling blogpost since it mainly consists of a research paper entered in the Kingdom Arts and Science competition...

This will be a long and rambeling blogpost since it mainly consists of a research paper entered in the Kingdom Arts and Science competition held at Drachenwalds Spring Crown Tourney of this year. I have edited it a bit after going through my judge´s very thorough comments. So take a deep breath before you take the plunge... Portrait of Barbara Dürer, née Holper, attributed to Albrecht Dürer, c 1490 when she would have been around 39. Oil on oak panel, 47 cm x 36 cm. Germanisches Nationalmuseum,Nuremberg. As I have dabbled with late 15th century german garb for some years now and having a keen interest in all forms of headwear, the stranger the better, I have come to the conclusion that the simple square linen veil with pleats in one end, really doesn´t seem as accurate. I have done them as well as many others that have studied the period art. Looking at pictures like Albrecht Dürer´s portrait of Barbara Dürer above, it clearly shows that it cannot be a simple square veil with sewn pleats. It could surely be something completely different, more like the headgear consisting of an evolved hood, worn with the facing against the forehead and the liripipe reformed to make a vimple. Or is it simply a long veil, wrapped around the head, thus creating the pleats over the forehead and then simply folded in the middle in the loose hanging part? And that part can also be used as a wrap over the chin, pinned in the back of the neck. There might be different ways in creating similar but somewhat differing looks (differing in details as the shape of the vimple, the use of pleats over the forehead or not, with or without the bulging Vulst in the back…) Here comes a short dictionary of terms in German that I will use: The Vächer, the pleated part over the forehead, comes in many variations. The Vulsthaube is the headdress with a bulge creating height and width, in the like of a mushroom. The Steuchlien is the veil covering the head, a name mostly used in Nürnberg for the Vulsthaube Schleier – the veil covering the head, an earlier headdress than the haube The Gefrens, the fringe of string/yarn hanging in the neck My main focus of interest in this article is the more simple styles of veils, with or without Vächer, mostly called schleier in German, thus differing them from Haubes, that is easier to wear, since it consists of a cap of some sort (there are many many different Haubes). I will show some examples where a Vulst seems to be used underneath for comparison. It ranges over the last two decades of the 15th c and into the first decade of the 16th c. My aim is to discuss different versions of this headdress, try some of my theories on possible ways to make them and, if possible, see if there is a clear line of evolution over time. I will try to discuss materials as well and the main source I will use is period artwork. Some background info, mainly taken from the book “Textiler Hausrat – Kleidung und Haustextilien in Nürnberg von 1500-1650” by Jutta Zander-Seidel, will also be used since she discusses the written sources, mainly wills and dress regulations. It states for instance that the Schleier were worn long into the 16th C, but being out of fashion only by modest married women and in more rural areas, were the aim to keep up with high fashion was not that important[1]. Even if her time range is later than mine, the terminology and the sources are of great value for this article as well. Schleier with Vächer in the artwork The early examples in period art seem to be rather flat, without the Vulst or with just the wearers own braids used to fill out the veil. This is an early depiction, showing simple wrapped layers of what looks like a long rectangular veil with a golden-yellow frilled edge. Begegnung an der goldenen Pforte 1438-1440 Here is a good example of a very simple and plain one, giving me a lot of information on the possible ways to create this. It stands clear to me that it is a simple veil in one piece, wrapped one time around the head and then left to hang down over the shoulder. . Oberrheinischer Meister: Die Geburt Mariens. 1460/65 The construction of Vächer Looking closer on the pleats it seems that it, in some of the more elaborate cases at least, might not be sewn as a part of the veil at all but made as a separate piece. This makes it possible to reuse the pleated piece and changing the veil. Looking closely at the portrait of Barbara Dürer one can make out some kind of decoration pinning just over the pleated part, suggesting it being pinned or stitched together thus making it into two separate pieces, or a way to hold the wrapped layers together. In Textiler Hausrat it is stated that the overlapping pleats/striped layers were named “vach” and held together with punctuating stitches, clearly shown in period art. And there is a dress regulation stating that if a woman living in the town wore more than six “vach” she would have to pay a fine. Even so, there are a number of examples showing up to ten “vach”[2]. On that thought, given the amount of work a pleated and most likely starched frontpiece takes, I would think it must have been worn over something simpler covering the hair and protecting the pleated and starched part from getting greasy and worn. I have however not found anything implying this in Textiler Hausrat. When comparing to the earlier and more west-oriented fashion of frilled veils, it is clear that the frontpieces were sewn onto the veil and starched to keep in shape. Isis Sturtewegen writes in her thesis on frilled veils that the fashion was well spread across Europe around the later half of the 14th C, and after 1460 it started to disappear as a noble fashion, but still being used by wealthy townswomen[3]. The evolution of the “vächer” seems to follow the same pattern. First it is high fashion among the wealthiest and then it is kept in the fashion by the wealthy burgerclass in the towns, to eventually fade out of fashion entirely. I will not do the huge work that Isis Sturtewegen did, comparing iconography of some 200 pictures/statues etc just from the Low Countries to form a typology and a timeline[4], but settle for making some iconographic comparisons, thus forming a theory of types and timeline. And from this thought I have given a lot of thinking into how to best make the pleats, to get that full and a bit more “built-up” look you see when browsing period artwork. When having done my early attempts of pleated veils, I tried to not use as much fabric, thus the single pleats just barely covers the previous one. Now I will have to try to pleat the forehead-covering piece with pleats that begin big and successfully decreases in width, thus building on the height just as much as lengthwise. On this picture it definetly looks like that has been done, and then the pleats are fastened to the Steuchlien by two parallel rows of stitches. Albrecht Dürer, Nürnberg woman dressed for dancing In this picture the wimple part is wrapped around the head and thus covering the chin as well, and the pleats look like they are either pinned or stitched to the Steuchlien. Master of the Housebook of Castle Wolfegg, Last quarter of the 15th C, showing hair and using the gefrens Here you clearly see a bit of the white Steuchlien hanging down and covering the neck, on top of the gefrens. Master of the Housebook, Showing hair but without the gefrens In this next portrait of Ursula Tucher the pleats are tiny but building up quite a bit before the vulst. Looks pinned together, with the little pinheads clearly visible. This could be a way to simply hold the layers together or indicate a separate pleated piece over the forehead with a plain veil fastened to it and then wrapped around the head and chin. The backpart of the Steuchlien is also partly visible hanging down in the neck. Michael Wolgemut - Portrait of Ursula Tucher, 1478 Tiny tiny pleats en masse, not likely something you re-do after the wash. Unless it is simply wrapped,but I find it unlikely that one did wrap ten layers or more. The schleier would probably be rather bulky and unflattering, and this is not the case in the depictions of Albrecht Dürer and others. This will be shown in my later experiments. In this following picture it looks like it is wrapped around the head, forming pleats, and then used as chin-wrap and finally, wrapped up around the head and fastened with some pins. The height and width looks like it is created with simple wrapped layers and not a vulst. You can clearly see that the chin-part is folded in the middle and even pinned/stitched along the edge under the chin. Since it is a common trait with the fastening stitches, I wonder if that would make the schleier stick together in the wash. But considering how linen was washed during old times I doubt it. And on that note, the known materials for schleier, taken from the Nürnberg testimonies, are linen and cotton[5]. I would think they were washed in similar fashion, since both materials can take heat and beating without suffering from it like a silk or wool would. Schweiz, Maria und Engel der Verkündigung, detail, ca 1470, now in the Bavarian National Museum in Muenchen (Photo by Elsa Hahma) Here is a rather simple version, clearly wrapped in four layers over the forehead, then folded double and wrapped around the chin and head. And it looks rather bulky with just four layers. For science I did cut and hem a five metre long veil, that would be long enough for it to be wrapped six times around my head, forming six Vächer, and then enough to form a vimple hanging over the shoulder or wrapped around the chin. It was rather difficult to wrap it in front of the mirror, since the amount of fabric being handled, it tangling around me like a toga and then, when all was on top of the head I fastened the Vächer with four pins over the forehead. The veil was certainly to wide, since it bulked up way too much fabric in the back, but I did manage to wrap it in forming a large bulb in the back. (Note – this headwear is not for driving. It is very difficult trying to hold your head straight in a car seat, I had to pull back the back of the seat in order for my now rather large head to fit in the car without me having to hit my head on the steering wheel.) Zwei Wunder aus der Kindheit des hl. Nikolaus, Hans Traut Nurnberg, End of 15 C (Photo by Elsa Hahma) In this picture it looks like a number of layers simply wrapped around the head and the loose hanging part is folded in the middle. Portrait of a Woman of the Hofer Family, artist unknown, c. 1470 There are also a number of Schleier with frilled edges and Vächer, somewhat a combination of the earlier fashion with the frilled veils and the later ones with Vächer. There is also a geographic difference since frills is predominantly used in the western parts of Europe and the Vächer more in the German speaking cultures. In this portrait the Schleiers is supported by a Vulsthaube of a rather unusual shape, the edges are frilled and it is definetly pinned or stitched together. It seems that the part hanging down in the back is also pinned/stitched along the edge so that it will hang neatly together. Hair showing and the use of the Gefrens Portrait of a Burgerfrau Sebald Bopp attributed, 1475 A number of portraits and the main part of women depicted in the Hausbook of Castle Wolfegg part of the hair, braided, is shown over the temples and hiding the ears. The use of the Gefrens, the little fringe of string covering the back of the neck, seems to be the fashion, often seen in combination with the Vächer (pleated Steuchleins), but it does not seem to be used when the Vulst comes into use. I would say, after having studied this in many pictures covering the period 1440-1510, that the Gefrens falls out of use as the Vulst gets popular in the last decades before 1500. The same goes for showing of hair/braids over the temples and ears, it too is not to be seen in combination with the Vulst and is also seen in the earlier decades and fades away towards the end of the 15th C. Pair of lovers, Master BXG, detail, Germany, 1470-1490 15th century (1486?) Germany Basel, Universitätsbibliothek, AN II 3: Matriculation Register of the Rectorate of the University of Basel, Volume 1 (1460-1567) fol.69v - Rektorat von Ludwig Odertzheym, SS 1486; coat of arms Wrapped layers? Lägg till Detail from the Birth of Mary, 1490-1510, Ansbach, Germany (Schwanenritteraltar, St. Gumbertus) Another possible solution is wrapping a long band of hemmed linen fabric to create the “pleats”. Like the well known picture of Mary Magdalene by Rogier van der Weyden. Just compare these two pictures and you will see what I mean. Rogier van der WEYDEN. St Mary Magdalene 1450s Silverpoint on prepared paper Steuchliens without pleats and using patterned fabrics There are also variations showing Steuchliens without the pleats, using other elements of decoration, and being used with or without the Vulst. Here are some examples: Wife of Dr. Johann Stephan Reuss - Lucas Cranach the Elder In this portrait it looks more like a woven piece with black (or dark blue) and red stripes. It looks like it is simply tied in a knot in the back and then the longer wimple-piece is folded and pinned in the back instead of hanging down. And in the following it is a thin three stripes in black on the veil. Anonymous German Artist active in Swabia ca. 1480 Portrait of a Woman Testing theories According to sumptuary laws one was not allowed more than six Vächer (folds) in a headdress in Nuremberg[6]. Obviously this was not obeyed, as can be seen in the picturematerial provided earlier. I have some different theories to try concerning construction of Vächer. First I want to try the simple wrap a really long veil around your head letting the hem form Vächer. So I started with a long light-weight linen veil, long enough to wrap six laps and leaving a vimple to hang around the neck. This meant that I had to hem about 5,5 metres of veil. Then the veil turned out too wide, so I had to cut it down and re-hem it down one side. It is not easy to wrap it neatly around the head either, the length of it lying in a heap on the floor. And the weight is a strain on the neck with just the six Vächer. It also is very hard to get that very neat and tight row of pleats as I have shown in the period art examples. Jutta Sander-Zeidel describes these Schleier as finely layered pleats referred to as Vach/Vächer and also states that they are held together by a punctuating fastening of some kind[7]. Some of the depictions I have shown indicated pins, others might be either a single or multiple rows of stitches. Considering these findings I am convinced that any headdress showing more than six Vächer needs to be constructed otherwise. I mean, in some of those pictures the lady is wearing up to 20 or more Vächer. Even if you made it in silk it would be a huge amount of fabric that you have to manuever around your head. So I had to look for other options in order to get that look with a stack of pleats over the forehead. A separate section with just the pleats seemed to be a promising thing to try, better than the widespread used solution on sewn pleats at the end of a veil that I, as well as many others, have used. First I will show a few examples of my tryouts to get the right look with the pleated veil. First picture shows the plain rather square veil with pleats at one end, folded over the forehead, pinned in the back and then simply tucked in. The second picture shows additional long veils wrapped on top of the pinned pleated veil. It works but does not really add up for me. I favour the use of gefrens and braids showing over the ears. So back to the drawing board. I wanted to get the look of stacked pleats and when discussing this with Meisterinne Katheryn we both agreed that a separate piece, pinned or basted onto a small cap, with or without a vulst, would be a logical solution. Then the cap can be washed while the pleated piece can be kept in good condition, maybe even starched to keep the shape. That also gives you the ability to use the piece with or without the vulst or with different caps. I started with hemming a lot of linen strips, stacking them up and then basting them together to form a neat little row of pleats. I formed the basted stack of pleats into a piece and fastened it all together at the sides. Then I went on to construction of some kind of cap to pin/baste it too. I decided to try with a very simple version of a vulst, a piece of linen rolled around some wool yarn forming a padded roll at one end. Then I formed it in the sides with a simple gathering and finally stitched on a band to tie it with. But since tying it with a knot would not go well with putting a veil on top I decided to pin the tiebands together over the forehead instead. The vulst leaves the back of the head uncovered. With a smaller veil wrapped and pinned on top the separate vächer looks rather neat and it is so much more comfortable and easier to wear then the 5,5 meters of veil. This will also work very well with a longer veil hanging down in the neck and forming a vimple as well. So the 5,5 meter veil will most likely not live very long but will be divided into two or maybe even three long veils, to be used on top of this separate Vächer-piece. Sources: Sturtewegen, Isis “”Een gouwen rync ende een ransse" : de gerimpelde hoofddoek in het modelandschap van de Lage Landen der late middeleeuwen : een interdisciplinaire studie”, Master thesis (Ghent University, 2009) Zander-Seidel, Jutta “Textiler Hausrat – Kleidung und Haustextilien in Nürnberg von 1500-1650, München 1990 [1] Zander-Seidel 1990, pp 112-113 [2] Zander-Seidel 1990, p 110 [3] Sturtewegen 2008-2009, p 2 [4] Sturtewegen 2008-2009. p 2 [5] Zander-Seidel 1990, pp 110-111 [6] Zander-Seidel 1990, p 110 [7] Zander-Seidel 1990, p 110

For many years I have been fond of pattenred or coloured veils - fro insance I'm wearing a striped veil on this photo of me in my pink cotte, and that is one of my favourite veils. While coloured veils are well documented for the periods before 1200 ( I wear coloured veils with all my 12th century gowns) they are not unusual in the High Middle Ages either, though they tend to be more white with a pattern, or in lighter colours, such as yellow. Literary sources from Germany complain that women were wearing saffron coloured veils in the 13th century, something that was both luxurious, given the price of saffron, and vain. Decorated veils tended to arise the ire of men of the church, who claimed that it was given as a sign of humility and modesty, and a sign of Eve's guilt in the fall of man (don't ask me how they came to that conclusion) and that it was an offence to the christian god to make them into an item of vanity and seduction. Well, I'm all for vanity and seduction, though I'm not sure that it works, so I have decided that in my renewed 13th-early 14th ceetury wardrobe I am going to wear even more decorated veils. So, here are some images from the period. Coloured This one is from 1214-1220, much like the 12th century veils. I love pink. Society of Antiquaries, Ms59, fol 35 v Emma wearing a red veil in the Vita of Edward the Confessor, from c 1260 University of Cambridge Digital Library Darker colours seems to be more popular in Spain. This one is lined with a contrasting colour as you can see. 13th century scupture from Navarre, again at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Another Spanish statue Santa Maria de Vitoria, from Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain Edged French c.1275-1300, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art Same time. Also the Metroplitan Museum of Art Striped, or otherwise overall patterned How much do I love these veils by Meister Heinrich von Konstanz, ca 1300? Too much for words, Again, the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Manuscript c 1325-30, from Bibliothèque Nationale deFrance Santa Maria de Montserrat, statue from Montserrat Abbey in Barcelona, Wikimedia Commons. A detail photo can be found here. Lined c. 1270-1280 St. John's College, Oxford MS K26

This will be a long and rambeling blogpost since it mainly consists of a research paper entered in the Kingdom Arts and Science competition held at Drachenwalds Spring Crown Tourney of this year. I have edited it a bit after going through my judge´s very thorough comments. So take a deep breath before you take the plunge... Portrait of Barbara Dürer, née Holper, attributed to Albrecht Dürer, c 1490 when she would have been around 39. Oil on oak panel, 47 cm x 36 cm. Germanisches Nationalmuseum,Nuremberg. As I have dabbled with late 15th century german garb for some years now and having a keen interest in all forms of headwear, the stranger the better, I have come to the conclusion that the simple square linen veil with pleats in one end, really doesn´t seem as accurate. I have done them as well as many others that have studied the period art. Looking at pictures like Albrecht Dürer´s portrait of Barbara Dürer above, it clearly shows that it cannot be a simple square veil with sewn pleats. It could surely be something completely different, more like the headgear consisting of an evolved hood, worn with the facing against the forehead and the liripipe reformed to make a vimple. Or is it simply a long veil, wrapped around the head, thus creating the pleats over the forehead and then simply folded in the middle in the loose hanging part? And that part can also be used as a wrap over the chin, pinned in the back of the neck. There might be different ways in creating similar but somewhat differing looks (differing in details as the shape of the vimple, the use of pleats over the forehead or not, with or without the bulging Vulst in the back…) Here comes a short dictionary of terms in German that I will use: The Vächer, the pleated part over the forehead, comes in many variations. The Vulsthaube is the headdress with a bulge creating height and width, in the like of a mushroom. The Steuchlien is the veil covering the head, a name mostly used in Nürnberg for the Vulsthaube Schleier – the veil covering the head, an earlier headdress than the haube The Gefrens, the fringe of string/yarn hanging in the neck My main focus of interest in this article is the more simple styles of veils, with or without Vächer, mostly called schleier in German, thus differing them from Haubes, that is easier to wear, since it consists of a cap of some sort (there are many many different Haubes). I will show some examples where a Vulst seems to be used underneath for comparison. It ranges over the last two decades of the 15th c and into the first decade of the 16th c. My aim is to discuss different versions of this headdress, try some of my theories on possible ways to make them and, if possible, see if there is a clear line of evolution over time. I will try to discuss materials as well and the main source I will use is period artwork. Some background info, mainly taken from the book “Textiler Hausrat – Kleidung und Haustextilien in Nürnberg von 1500-1650” by Jutta Zander-Seidel, will also be used since she discusses the written sources, mainly wills and dress regulations. It states for instance that the Schleier were worn long into the 16th C, but being out of fashion only by modest married women and in more rural areas, were the aim to keep up with high fashion was not that important[1]. Even if her time range is later than mine, the terminology and the sources are of great value for this article as well. Schleier with Vächer in the artwork The early examples in period art seem to be rather flat, without the Vulst or with just the wearers own braids used to fill out the veil. This is an early depiction, showing simple wrapped layers of what looks like a long rectangular veil with a golden-yellow frilled edge. Begegnung an der goldenen Pforte 1438-1440 Here is a good example of a very simple and plain one, giving me a lot of information on the possible ways to create this. It stands clear to me that it is a simple veil in one piece, wrapped one time around the head and then left to hang down over the shoulder. . Oberrheinischer Meister: Die Geburt Mariens. 1460/65 The construction of Vächer Looking closer on the pleats it seems that it, in some of the more elaborate cases at least, might not be sewn as a part of the veil at all but made as a separate piece. This makes it possible to reuse the pleated piece and changing the veil. Looking closely at the portrait of Barbara Dürer one can make out some kind of decoration pinning just over the pleated part, suggesting it being pinned or stitched together thus making it into two separate pieces, or a way to hold the wrapped layers together. In Textiler Hausrat it is stated that the overlapping pleats/striped layers were named “vach” and held together with punctuating stitches, clearly shown in period art. And there is a dress regulation stating that if a woman living in the town wore more than six “vach” she would have to pay a fine. Even so, there are a number of examples showing up to ten “vach”[2]. On that thought, given the amount of work a pleated and most likely starched frontpiece takes, I would think it must have been worn over something simpler covering the hair and protecting the pleated and starched part from getting greasy and worn. I have however not found anything implying this in Textiler Hausrat. When comparing to the earlier and more west-oriented fashion of frilled veils, it is clear that the frontpieces were sewn onto the veil and starched to keep in shape. Isis Sturtewegen writes in her thesis on frilled veils that the fashion was well spread across Europe around the later half of the 14th C, and after 1460 it started to disappear as a noble fashion, but still being used by wealthy townswomen[3]. The evolution of the “vächer” seems to follow the same pattern. First it is high fashion among the wealthiest and then it is kept in the fashion by the wealthy burgerclass in the towns, to eventually fade out of fashion entirely. I will not do the huge work that Isis Sturtewegen did, comparing iconography of some 200 pictures/statues etc just from the Low Countries to form a typology and a timeline[4], but settle for making some iconographic comparisons, thus forming a theory of types and timeline. And from this thought I have given a lot of thinking into how to best make the pleats, to get that full and a bit more “built-up” look you see when browsing period artwork. When having done my early attempts of pleated veils, I tried to not use as much fabric, thus the single pleats just barely covers the previous one. Now I will have to try to pleat the forehead-covering piece with pleats that begin big and successfully decreases in width, thus building on the height just as much as lengthwise. On this picture it definetly looks like that has been done, and then the pleats are fastened to the Steuchlien by two parallel rows of stitches. Albrecht Dürer, Nürnberg woman dressed for dancing In this picture the wimple part is wrapped around the head and thus covering the chin as well, and the pleats look like they are either pinned or stitched to the Steuchlien. Master of the Housebook of Castle Wolfegg, Last quarter of the 15th C, showing hair and using the gefrens Here you clearly see a bit of the white Steuchlien hanging down and covering the neck, on top of the gefrens. Master of the Housebook, Showing hair but without the gefrens In this next portrait of Ursula Tucher the pleats are tiny but building up quite a bit before the vulst. Looks pinned together, with the little pinheads clearly visible. This could be a way to simply hold the layers together or indicate a separate pleated piece over the forehead with a plain veil fastened to it and then wrapped around the head and chin. The backpart of the Steuchlien is also partly visible hanging down in the neck. Michael Wolgemut - Portrait of Ursula Tucher, 1478 Tiny tiny pleats en masse, not likely something you re-do after the wash. Unless it is simply wrapped,but I find it unlikely that one did wrap ten layers or more. The schleier would probably be rather bulky and unflattering, and this is not the case in the depictions of Albrecht Dürer and others. This will be shown in my later experiments. In this following picture it looks like it is wrapped around the head, forming pleats, and then used as chin-wrap and finally, wrapped up around the head and fastened with some pins. The height and width looks like it is created with simple wrapped layers and not a vulst. You can clearly see that the chin-part is folded in the middle and even pinned/stitched along the edge under the chin. Since it is a common trait with the fastening stitches, I wonder if that would make the schleier stick together in the wash. But considering how linen was washed during old times I doubt it. And on that note, the known materials for schleier, taken from the Nürnberg testimonies, are linen and cotton[5]. I would think they were washed in similar fashion, since both materials can take heat and beating without suffering from it like a silk or wool would. Schweiz, Maria und Engel der Verkündigung, detail, ca 1470, now in the Bavarian National Museum in Muenchen (Photo by Elsa Hahma) Here is a rather simple version, clearly wrapped in four layers over the forehead, then folded double and wrapped around the chin and head. And it looks rather bulky with just four layers. For science I did cut and hem a five metre long veil, that would be long enough for it to be wrapped six times around my head, forming six Vächer, and then enough to form a vimple hanging over the shoulder or wrapped around the chin. It was rather difficult to wrap it in front of the mirror, since the amount of fabric being handled, it tangling around me like a toga and then, when all was on top of the head I fastened the Vächer with four pins over the forehead. The veil was certainly to wide, since it bulked up way too much fabric in the back, but I did manage to wrap it in forming a large bulb in the back. (Note – this headwear is not for driving. It is very difficult trying to hold your head straight in a car seat, I had to pull back the back of the seat in order for my now rather large head to fit in the car without me having to hit my head on the steering wheel.) Zwei Wunder aus der Kindheit des hl. Nikolaus, Hans Traut Nurnberg, End of 15 C (Photo by Elsa Hahma) In this picture it looks like a number of layers simply wrapped around the head and the loose hanging part is folded in the middle. Portrait of a Woman of the Hofer Family, artist unknown, c. 1470 There are also a number of Schleier with frilled edges and Vächer, somewhat a combination of the earlier fashion with the frilled veils and the later ones with Vächer. There is also a geographic difference since frills is predominantly used in the western parts of Europe and the Vächer more in the German speaking cultures. In this portrait the Schleiers is supported by a Vulsthaube of a rather unusual shape, the edges are frilled and it is definetly pinned or stitched together. It seems that the part hanging down in the back is also pinned/stitched along the edge so that it will hang neatly together. Hair showing and the use of the Gefrens Portrait of a Burgerfrau Sebald Bopp attributed, 1475 A number of portraits and the main part of women depicted in the Hausbook of Castle Wolfegg part of the hair, braided, is shown over the temples and hiding the ears. The use of the Gefrens, the little fringe of string covering the back of the neck, seems to be the fashion, often seen in combination with the Vächer (pleated Steuchleins), but it does not seem to be used when the Vulst comes into use. I would say, after having studied this in many pictures covering the period 1440-1510, that the Gefrens falls out of use as the Vulst gets popular in the last decades before 1500. The same goes for showing of hair/braids over the temples and ears, it too is not to be seen in combination with the Vulst and is also seen in the earlier decades and fades away towards the end of the 15th C. Pair of lovers, Master BXG, detail, Germany, 1470-1490 15th century (1486?) Germany Basel, Universitätsbibliothek, AN II 3: Matriculation Register of the Rectorate of the University of Basel, Volume 1 (1460-1567) fol.69v - Rektorat von Ludwig Odertzheym, SS 1486; coat of arms Wrapped layers? Lägg till Detail from the Birth of Mary, 1490-1510, Ansbach, Germany (Schwanenritteraltar, St. Gumbertus) Another possible solution is wrapping a long band of hemmed linen fabric to create the “pleats”. Like the well known picture of Mary Magdalene by Rogier van der Weyden. Just compare these two pictures and you will see what I mean. Rogier van der WEYDEN. St Mary Magdalene 1450s Silverpoint on prepared paper Steuchliens without pleats and using patterned fabrics There are also variations showing Steuchliens without the pleats, using other elements of decoration, and being used with or without the Vulst. Here are some examples: Wife of Dr. Johann Stephan Reuss - Lucas Cranach the Elder In this portrait it looks more like a woven piece with black (or dark blue) and red stripes. It looks like it is simply tied in a knot in the back and then the longer wimple-piece is folded and pinned in the back instead of hanging down. And in the following it is a thin three stripes in black on the veil. Anonymous German Artist active in Swabia ca. 1480 Portrait of a Woman Testing theories According to sumptuary laws one was not allowed more than six Vächer (folds) in a headdress in Nuremberg[6]. Obviously this was not obeyed, as can be seen in the picturematerial provided earlier. I have some different theories to try concerning construction of Vächer. First I want to try the simple wrap a really long veil around your head letting the hem form Vächer. So I started with a long light-weight linen veil, long enough to wrap six laps and leaving a vimple to hang around the neck. This meant that I had to hem about 5,5 metres of veil. Then the veil turned out too wide, so I had to cut it down and re-hem it down one side. It is not easy to wrap it neatly around the head either, the length of it lying in a heap on the floor. And the weight is a strain on the neck with just the six Vächer. It also is very hard to get that very neat and tight row of pleats as I have shown in the period art examples. Jutta Sander-Zeidel describes these Schleier as finely layered pleats referred to as Vach/Vächer and also states that they are held together by a punctuating fastening of some kind[7]. Some of the depictions I have shown indicated pins, others might be either a single or multiple rows of stitches. Considering these findings I am convinced that any headdress showing more than six Vächer needs to be constructed otherwise. I mean, in some of those pictures the lady is wearing up to 20 or more Vächer. Even if you made it in silk it would be a huge amount of fabric that you have to manuever around your head. So I had to look for other options in order to get that look with a stack of pleats over the forehead. A separate section with just the pleats seemed to be a promising thing to try, better than the widespread used solution on sewn pleats at the end of a veil that I, as well as many others, have used. First I will show a few examples of my tryouts to get the right look with the pleated veil. First picture shows the plain rather square veil with pleats at one end, folded over the forehead, pinned in the back and then simply tucked in. The second picture shows additional long veils wrapped on top of the pinned pleated veil. It works but does not really add up for me. I favour the use of gefrens and braids showing over the ears. So back to the drawing board. I wanted to get the look of stacked pleats and when discussing this with Meisterinne Katheryn we both agreed that a separate piece, pinned or basted onto a small cap, with or without a vulst, would be a logical solution. Then the cap can be washed while the pleated piece can be kept in good condition, maybe even starched to keep the shape. That also gives you the ability to use the piece with or without the vulst or with different caps. I started with hemming a lot of linen strips, stacking them up and then basting them together to form a neat little row of pleats. I formed the basted stack of pleats into a piece and fastened it all together at the sides. Then I went on to construction of some kind of cap to pin/baste it too. I decided to try with a very simple version of a vulst, a piece of linen rolled around some wool yarn forming a padded roll at one end. Then I formed it in the sides with a simple gathering and finally stitched on a band to tie it with. But since tying it with a knot would not go well with putting a veil on top I decided to pin the tiebands together over the forehead instead. The vulst leaves the back of the head uncovered. With a smaller veil wrapped and pinned on top the separate vächer looks rather neat and it is so much more comfortable and easier to wear then the 5,5 meters of veil. This will also work very well with a longer veil hanging down in the neck and forming a vimple as well. So the 5,5 meter veil will most likely not live very long but will be divided into two or maybe even three long veils, to be used on top of this separate Vächer-piece. Sources: Sturtewegen, Isis “”Een gouwen rync ende een ransse" : de gerimpelde hoofddoek in het modelandschap van de Lage Landen der late middeleeuwen : een interdisciplinaire studie”, Master thesis (Ghent University, 2009) Zander-Seidel, Jutta “Textiler Hausrat – Kleidung und Haustextilien in Nürnberg von 1500-1650, München 1990 [1] Zander-Seidel 1990, pp 112-113 [2] Zander-Seidel 1990, p 110 [3] Sturtewegen 2008-2009, p 2 [4] Sturtewegen 2008-2009. p 2 [5] Zander-Seidel 1990, pp 110-111 [6] Zander-Seidel 1990, p 110 [7] Zander-Seidel 1990, p 110

Whether you're a farmer's daughter, a nun, or a lady-in-waiting, our veil and wimple set is the perfect touch to add a historic flair to your medieval outfit! The set is made from a medium weight natural colored linen, and the veil comes pre-attached to a fillet or headband to help secure it in place. The set also comes with three medieval-style brass pins to fasten the wimple and drape the veil. The Model is wearing our Veil & Wimple Set with a Grey Scapula and the Nun's Habit in Natural and our Fair Lady Dress in Natural as a base garment for warmth. *Please note that our 100% linen fabric comes from small dye batches, colors may vary slightly over time.* Exchange/Return Policy Need it in a hurry? Or is this item not exactly what you're looking for? Chat with us! Made to order by craftsmen in the U.S.A.

This blog post can now be found here: https://recreatinghistoryblog.com/2014/10/19/ett-krusdok-a-frilled-veil/

Portrait of a lady in a hat and veil by Joseph Oppenheimer, 1904

I hope this will help with your reenactments and fanart. :) Anglo-Saxon (600 – 1154): Simple Veils, Head-tires, Combs, and Pin Norman (1066-1154): Couvre-chef, hair uncovered, and extreme...

This is a tutorial for when you have long hair, but have that pesky bang that is long enough to braid in, but when braided in and your braids are doubled sticks out in the worst places. You can of …

On May 25, 1961, renowned documentary photographer Bruce Davidson joined a group of Freedom Riders traveling by bus from Alabama to Mississippi - a perilous journey that resulted in a series of moving images shining a spotlight on the civil rights era.

Phyllis Conner in a floral headpiece and veil photographed by Victor Skrebneski, 1958.

I thought thought that I would share with you how I put on my veil and wimple, my modern me have short hair, bangs and piercings, very non medieval of me. I start of by braiding the front part of m…

There are many looks on headwear during the late 15th century. Everything from maiden hair hanging loose with soft waves, to several layers of linen veils wrapped around the head, with wimples or j…

One of the things that I really like about the 13th-early 14th century are the many varied ways to wear you hair - and headwear. Contrary to popular ideas hair was not always totally cover4d, not even on married women. I've written some about it on the page about my 13th century outfit with a Barbie pink gardecorps, but I thought that it would be nice with a blog post which focuses on this and show some more period examples. Unmarried women I'll start with (presumably) unmarried women, who are often seen with their hair hanging or, much more rarely, braided. Braid with gold ribbons and a circlet from the end of the 13th century, ow maybe her hair is just wrapped in ribbons and not braided. In any case it's not hanging loosely. Lausanne, Bibliothèque Cantonale et Universitaire U 964 - Biblia Porta fol. 178r On of the young women ion this awesome French 13th century image of the Devil tempting both sexes to have fun same-sex sexuality, also has a single braid or possibly unbraided hair wrapped in ribbons. Wavy/slightly curly hair was popular. Here with a circlet. ca 1300. Codex Manesse/Grosse Heidelberger Liederhandschrift Here we see mother and daugher, showing the difference between a married woman with her chin strap and fillet and the daughter with a circlet in gold, tied with red ribbons. Codex Manesse/Grosse Heidelberger Liederhandschrift Loose hair and circlets in France c 1250. The Maciejowski Bible It is of course hard to be sure about the marital status of all these women, but this woman wearing a hairnet is also probably unmarried, like her friends, since she's wearing only a circlet with her hairnet. It appears that the white wavy fillet and chin strap was a thing for married women. And don't be fooled by all the women with white fillets and/or veils being courted by knights - adoring a married woman was a thing in Courtly Culture. (A book tip: Courtly Culture by Joachim Bumke, a German historian. It is really,really good.) This image show the death of Nabal and what I presume is his wife and daughter, indicating that the white cap today mostly referred to as the St. Birgitta cap, was worn also by unmarried women. You also see that already in France c. 1250 married women wore a chin strap and fillet with loose hair under it. But, really, "everyone" already knows that unmarried women wore their hair uncovered in the Middle ages. The most interesting thing may be the image of the woman at the top with her hair braided in one single braid. This is not a style that we generally associate with the 13th and early 14th century, and one that I will get back to now that I turn to the married women. Married women I promised myself that this post wouldn't be about veils, so I will try to refrain from showing images just because I like the veils, filelts or chin straps. there has to be some hair too. We have already seen that a white fillet, often with a wavy or decorated edge (I write more about that here) was worn by many women together with either a chin band/barbette, or maybe a Birgitta cap under it; the image above could for instance show a cap insted of a strip of linen. On the other hand there are written sources telling about long strips of linen, called gebende, wound many times around the head (Bumke 2000 p 152) and the image may well show this instead. This is a lovely detail shot of Markgrafin Uta from the Naumburg cathedral, showing her wide gebende decorated with gold, but also some of her wavy hair at the temples. Photo from Wikimedia commons A much less well-known figure from the same cathedral is countess Gerburg von Brehna. She's not as pretty, but she has a braid! So, like Uta she has a crown with a pill box cap, a gebende wrapped around her head, and wavy hair showing at the temples, but, since we can see her from the side we also see that she has a single braid hainging down her back. Furthermore, if you look at my favourite of the Naumberg ladies: the happily smiling Reglindis you see that she also probably has a hanging braid. Image from wikimedia commons Oh, what I would give for a side view of Uta's head :) Narrower chinstraps were worn with a fillet and hanging hair as you have seen in the example of the motehr and daughter from the Grosse Heidelberger Liederhandschrift above. The Weingartner Liederhandschrift, which is contemporary to it, but much less fancy seem to favour a slightly...sloppy approach to the white linen fillet. Image from wikimedia commons You also find many examples of hanging hair under a veil in the Grosse Heidelberger Liederhandschrift. With veil and a circlet on top of it. And another one: And one with a pink veil draped over what appears to be a gold coloured band of some kind. No chinstraps as you can see on these images, but veils indicating married status anyway. Hair nets came in many colours, and were frequently worn with chinstrap and white fillet. Two examples from the Murthly Hours, a French mansucript fro the 1280s, show a green and a blue net respectively. And we also see that while prossibly shaped it is defintiely not a cap the woman with the green hairnet is wearing, which makes it less likely that it's a cap in the image of Nabal's death from the Maciejowski bible, since it looks just the same, except that we can't see the top of her head. Detail from fol 6 recto This is a gorgeous manuscript, which can be seen in its entirety at the web site of the national Library of Scotland. Lots of inspiration for illumination there. Another be-netted, fillet wearing...snake. From MS K26 at St.John's College, Cambridge. And a Norwegian early 14th century example, showing decorated hairnet, chin strap and fillet. So, hairnets are definitely an option, for married as well as for unmarried women - there are also quite a few of them preserved. This one is from the church of St. Truiden in Belgium, dated to the 13th century (link to museum site): And the same goes for this one, from the cathedral of St. Paul (link to museum site). As you see, they are first knotted and then embroidered. I'm ending this post with an image from the Rheims Missal 1285-1297, showing maybe a "Birgitta cap" with a fillet with wavy or dagged edge and a gebende. And wavy hair at the temples.

Näitä tarvitset / You will need Huntu (tässä pyöreä huntu, jonka halkaisija on 1m) Leukaliina (tässä 50 x 90 cm suorakaide) ne on tehdy ohuesta hamppukankaasta mutta voit tehdä ne myös ohuesta pell…

This will be a long and rambeling blogpost since it mainly consists of a research paper entered in the Kingdom Arts and Science competition...

The trendy thing at the moment among re-enactors seems to be the frilled veil. Everyone makes one and after my try last year with my non starched frilled veil I was very exited to make a new veil. …

Haftowana chusta z perłami. Pierwowzór Madonna Zbrasławska (Czechy, 1350-1360). Wykonanie Fraucymer Embroidered veil with pearls, based on Madonna of Zbraslav (Czech, 1350-1360). Made by Fr…