This large green woollen bonnet with red pompom or “toorie” is known as a tam o’shanter, named after the central figure in the Robert Burns poem of 1790. This cap, traditionally worn by men, is from the Highland Folk Museum collection and dates from the mid to late 1800s.
Woollen bonnets were knitted twice the size of the finished article, and then shrunk down. This felting process made the hats almost waterproof. According to James Logan, writing in his 1876 book “The Scottish Gael”, the inhabitants of Badenoch, Strathspey, Strathdon etc wore their bonnets cocked.
Interested in trying this hat on?! This cap, and a white cotton bonnet from the Highland Folk Museum collection, have been transformed into virtual dress-up filters, accessed through the Instagram and Facebook apps on a smartphone or tablet.
Click the links above to try it yourself!
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