The Pamela hat, which first emerged around 1837, was a version of the gipsy hat with a smaller brim. Gipsy hats were wide-brimmed straw hats worn in the first four decades of the nineteenth century, always with ribbons attached to the crown and coming over the brim to tie under the chin. In 1837, Pamela hats and gipsy hats were listed separately as fashionable headgear for that year. By 1842 the Pamela hat was described as a "half-gipsy hat" being made of coarse straw with ribbon trimming, while the Pamela bonnet sloped backwards to reveal the wearer's
ringlets. The Pamela bonnet, which was narrow-brimmed with a flat back and trimmed with ribbons and flowers, was fashionable in the 1840s and 1850s. By 1847 Cunnington noted that the Pamela shape was falling out of favour. In March that same year, Godey described the Pamela bonnet as the latest Paris fashion, made popular by a milliner called Alexanche, and published a
fashion plate showing how the brim rounded off at the ear like a gipsy hat. By 1858, Godey's were advising readers that the Pamela hat was appropriate only for children, or for wearing on holiday as
resort wear. At this time, Godey informed its readers that an alternative name for the "Pamela flat" was "Equestrienne". In 1872, Gipsy and Pamela hats were both listed as options, both much reduced in size, while larger gipsy hats were known as
Dolly Varden hats. ==Gallery==