Did People Really Wear Nightcaps in the Old Days?

Watch old movies and even flip through old books and you will see characters roused from their nighttime slumber dressed in a long gown and a nightcap of some sort. And some of these caps seem most impractical, such as the floppy cone-shaped ones often depicted for Dickensian characters like Mr. Scrooge. But, did people back in the old days actually wear hats to sleep in? The answer is both “yes” and “no”.

Women’s Nightcaps

From medieval times women can be seen depicted in art wearing caps for sleeping. There were not the delicate bonnets worn in later years, but utilitarian garments. They could be made of wool and/or linen and were worn to keep warm. Another style was the mop cap, a circle of fabric gathered with a ribbon or elastic resulting in a ruffle. Think the charwoman character from The Carol Burnett Show.

But, the styles of the 1600s up until the early 1900s in Europe (and by extension their colonies) for women’s nightcaps became ever more decorative, resulting in lace bonnets that resembled the same styles of caps they wore during the day.

It was not only considered appropriately modest for women to hide their hair during this period of history, but the later caps of the 20th century also served another purpose. Today we have entire companies founded around silk and satin bonnets and pillowcases marketed towards women. These products are said to protect the hair from getting tangled or frayed during the night on rougher cotton or linen bedclothes. In the same vein, women back then also sought to protect their hair at night using these silk nightcaps to do so.

Men’s Nightcaps

It’s easy to imagine a world before central heating and electricity where the houses could get pretty cold at night, necessitating the use of extra garments to keep one warm during the night.

And this is how, to some extent, nightcaps were worn by men. These caps were fitted close to the head. While they could contain lace that was tatted or knitted, the caps themselves were often made from woven material such as linen, silk, or velvet. These caps were primarily worn in the evenings before bed when a man might read by the fire, take a beverage, or otherwise wind down from his day.

In the 16th and 17th centuries many men wore wigs on a regular basis. This was sometimes to hide a naturally balding scalp, but some men also shorn their heads and wore a wig on top. When in the comfort of home however, the weight and texture of a wig was unwelcome. And, so these caps kept the head warm day and night when at home.

Men who were seen to be walking around bald-headed were even sometimes thought to be physically or mentally unwell.

Despite all this the hats were only worn for relaxing in. Nightcaps were not worn for sleeping.

Like any garment or piece of adornment, these caps were a way to display wealth. Elaborate beading, embroidery, goldwork, bullion, lace, and other embellishments made these hats something special. They were so special in fact that even though most men would not have worn these caps out of the house some had their portraits painted with their favorite nightcap on!

The less-fancy conical nightcaps made of knits or cotton, the kind we associate with Ebenezer Scrooge, came into fashion in the 1800s.