Smoking caps, also known as lounging caps, were Victorian headwear worn by men while

smoking Smoking is a practice in which a substance is combusted, and the resulting smoke is typically inhaled to be tasted and absorbed into the bloodstream of a person. Most commonly, the substance used is the dried leaves of the tobacco plant, whi ...

to stop their hair from smelling of tobacco

smoke Smoke is an aerosol (a suspension of airborne particulates and gases) emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with the quantity of air that is entrained or otherwise mixed into the mass. It is commonly an unwante ...

. They were soft caps, shaped like a squat cylinder or close fitting like a

knit cap A knit cap, colloquially known as a beanie, is a piece of knitted headwear designed to provide warmth in cold weather. It usually has a simple tapered shape, although more elaborate variants exist. Historically made of wool, it is now often mad ...

, and usually heavily

embroidered Embroidery is the art of decorating Textile, fabric or other materials using a Sewing needle, needle to stitch Yarn, thread or yarn. It is one of the oldest forms of Textile arts, textile art, with origins dating back thousands of years across ...

with a

tassel A tassel is a finishing feature in fabric and clothing decoration. It is a universal ornament that is seen in varying versions in many cultures around the globe. History and use In the Hebrew Bible, the Lord spoke to Moses instructing him to ...

on top. They were originally worn for warmth, but continued with their new use after improvements in Victorian heating. They were popular in the period 1840–1880, and usually used by

gentlemen ''Gentleman'' (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man; abbreviated ''gent.'') is a term for a chivalrous, courteous, or honorable man. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire ...

in the privacy of their homes. The need for smoking caps, and smoking wear generally, arose from the social more of not smoking in front of women, and not smelling of smoke when one returned to their presence. They were often a gift from women, who made them themselves to give to male partners. They were often worn with a smoking jacket, but while the jacket was more or less ''de rigueur'', the cap was optional. Neither was worn by everyone, as smoking was not as popular as it became in the twentieth century,Christopher Hibbert, ''The Horizon Book of Daily Life in Victorian England'', p. 14, American Heritage Publishing Company, 1975 . although they could also be worn as part of a man's loungewear outfit with no connection to smoking. The decoration of the cap was often very ornate and colourful. Designs were particularly influenced by the designs of the

Near NEAR or Near may refer to: People * Thomas J. Near, US evolutionary ichthyologist * Near, a developer who created the higan emulator Science, mathematics, technology, biology, and medicine * National Emergency Alarm Repeater (NEAR), a form ...

and

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

, a common Victorian influence in many other areas.Jennifer F. Gordon, "Smoking caps", pp. 234–235 in, José Blanco F. (series ed), Mary D. Doering (volume ed), ''Clothing and Fashion: American Fashion from Head to Toe'', vol. 1, ABC-CLIO, 2015 .

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* {{Authority control 19th-century fashion Caps Smoking Tobacciana

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