A picture hat is a large, broad-brimmed hat, usually rather elaborately trimmed. The name is usually said to come from the way the hat frames the face, like a round picture frame, though I’ve also seen it said that it is because they were considered a revival of historical styles, so the wearer looked like a the women in the paintings of Gainsborough or Reynolds. Perhaps the real truth is slightly more prosaic, and it is simply that they were worn by those who affected the picturesque. Picture hats became popular in the early 1890s, and remained popular until the early 1910s. The first known use of the term was in 1887, with the term appearing in the fashion notes of NZ newspapers from 1888, and becoming quite common by 1893. Early mentions indicate they were also called ‘garden hats.’ Picture hats were fantastic for piling on the abundant trimmings of the Edwardian mode, and helped to preserve the complexions of their wearers. Their attributes weren’t quite so much appreciated by theatre goers and those …