If you do head out to the sunshine during this summer, it is important to dress for the weather, though it’s unlikely your outfit plans would include an ugly. And yet items like this blue “ugly” from our collection were an essential part of many women’s wardrobes in the early nineteenth century. Made from blue silk and stiffened with five cane hoops, the ugly would neatly attach to women’s bonnets providing that vital protection against the sun and elements. It folded out almost like a convertible car hood. It was a necessary addition to any woman’s wardrobe who wanted to maintain a fashionably pale complexion ( or just not be blinded in the sun). Indeed it featured in the closet of none other than the writer Charlotte Bronte and the American traveller Jane Anthony Eames, who described wearing this device while visiting Sidon in the 1850s.

Yet despite its practicality, the ugly was described as frankly just that. It was frequently insulted in print, particularly in the latter half of the century. A “coal scuttle” or “oyster shell” was how the Victorian writer Charles Ford described these bonnets while he celebrated their demise in favour of the more flattering hats. They appear to have been a particularly English wardrobe item, as one writer unfavourably described it “Nothing more disfiguring can be conceived; only an Englishwoman would venture to assume it. A Frenchwoman would die at the stake than appear in an ‘ugly'”. Harsh words indeed for this quite practical item.
 

However these ‘uglies’ are not the only items within the collection that were designed to protect from the summer sun. These simple cotton bonnets were also popular in the nineteenth century, particularly amongst working-class women. Made with a long flap and a wide brim stiffened with cords, these were perfect for protecting the eyes and neck. Often made from cotton in all sorts of patterns (lilac paisley and pink and blue spots are just some of the examples in the collection), these sunbonnets were often popular with agricultural workers from the 1840s to the 1910s. Working long hours in the harvest, it is little wonder you would need protection.
 

In Hitchin, it seems fashion habits had already started to change as this picture of the lavender harvest from around 1900 shows with young ladies sporting men’s flat caps and scarfs. Later still, these 1920s lavender harvesters have completely left behind the sunbonnet, instead opting for straw hats, though still with wide brims for protection. However you choose to dress in this summer (whether you are wearing an ugly, a bonnet or a baseball cap), take care in the hot weather and look after yourself.

Daisy and her two penguin pals

I thoroughly enjoyed my year 12 work experience here, it provided me valuable and interesting insight into collection management and curation that has really helped me refine my interests in historical collections and museums. By far the most unexpected activity was helping switch an Object Box used in Victorian schools (loaned to British Schools Museum) with two taxidermy penguins which was a uniquely charming experience (including making a social media post about their arrival), from this I also learned about recording loans and deliveries, (and a bit about Victorian schooling).

For the last two days of my placement, I focused on documents about the Offley Morris Men overviewing the group’s existence from their inception in 1955 to their dissolution in 2016. I helped log them into accession records both online and in the museum’s accession book, this was probably my favourite part as I got to examine real historical records for the first time. Making this an especially interesting experience was the personal and domestic nature of the records, including handwritten logbooks detailing their dancing tours and a Ladies Night menu signed and doodled on by attendees.

This experience has overall been very rewarding, from this I have learned the variety of jobs and unpredictability of each day working as a curator.

I came to the North Herts Museum for my year 10 work experience, and I really enjoyed it. I learnt lots about how museums are run and got to see a lot of the behind the scenes whilst being allowed to help with the creation of a new exhibit and assist with setting up multiple displays including one about local sports events.

A 1990 boxing programme worked on by Erin, showing a match involving Hitchin’s Andy Straughn.

The experience was brilliant, and I loved seeing all around the museum and working with so many kind people. Seeing the displays around the museum allowed me to learn about local history and eras in time that I was unfamiliar with.

Doing my work experience here allowed me to see what I can do with my passion for history in the future and I now plan on studying it further. As well as that, it allowed me to grow my confidence in many areas and be more independent.

I am grateful I had this opportunity and thank the staff at the museum for their kindness and giving me the opportunity to do my work experience there.