Artifact: Woman's Hoop Petticoat
Materials: Linen plain weave and cane
Dimensions: 31 1/4 x 54 x 18 1/2 in.
Date: 1750-1780
Origin: England
Collection: LACMA
License: Public Domain
Ledger Entry: Small Cane Hoop
Department: Clothing
Customer: Mrs. Sarah Wigginton
Ledger Page: 19
Imported From: Most of the clothing accessories sold in the Ramsay store would have been imported from England.
Product Description
On Sept. 27, 1753 Mrs. Sarah Wigginton purchased a 'small cane hoop' for 4 shillings. While this description is vague and could refer possibly to a hoop for needlecraft or a hoop for children's games, it likely refers to a type of undergarment which uses cane or whalebone hoops to give fullness to a woman's skirts. These could either be sewn into a petticoat or suspended like a cage from the waist. The durability and flexibility of whalebone made it the preferred material for this purpose, but its scarcity made it more expensive. Cane was used as a more economical alternative.
Citation: Linda Baumgarten. Eighteenth-Century Clothing at Williamsburg. (Williamsburg, Va: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 1986), 19.;
Historical Price: 4 shillings; Modern USD: $44.8
Product Variations
The databases record five items of this category. One entry is labeled solely as a cane hoop, one as a cane hoop coat (petticoat), and two whalebone petticoats. Despite the differing terminology, these items served the same functions. The prices range from four shillings for a small cane hoop to twenty shillings for higher quality whalebone petticoat.
