"...with regard to clothing Ive been poorly off having bought no bonnet since Ive been here ... That old pink calico sunbonnet has been the only one Ive had so have worn it Sundays and weekdays until it was really so mean I cant use it no longer I then had another out of a piece of old lilac dress I brought from England & that is what I am wearing now...." --Lucy Rutledge Cooke (Holmes, vol. 4, p. 270)

The sunbonnet: a symbol of the pioneer woman and the badge of the frontier

This sunbonnet belonged to Samuel Clemens' mother. It is in the Marjorie Russell Clothing and Textile Center. It a blue and white woven cotton. The brim is strengthened with trapunto stitching every inch apart to give it stength. The long, gathered drape, also called a bavolet or neck ruffle, down the back would have protected the back of Mrs. Clemens' neck. There are matching ties under the chin.

As a part of the immigrant clothing, the woman's bonnet was an important part of her survival on the journey west. The bonnet would shield her eyes, protect her against the sun, sand, dust and wind. The sunbonnet remained an important part of the rural woman's wardrobe being used into 1900s.

The sunbonnnet was also an important part of a little girl's wardrobe. They wore a miniature version of mother's bonnet and apron. Fabric, sold in the length one would need to complete a dress, often included enough for a matching apron or bonnet. Old dresses were often recyled on the trail and at home in the manner described by Lucy Rutledge Cooke.