Crowns: A Brief History of Church Hats
Michael Cunningham
Dressing Up
In the early 20th century, Sunday church services provided African American women who worked as domestic servants or in other subservient roles the only real chance to break away from their drab, dreary workday uniforms. They favored bright colors and textured fabric the bolder the better, really and topped their outfits off with a flamboyant hat, or "crown."
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