by Erin Feith, Coordinator of Research & Visitor Engagement
February 25, 2025
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, it might have been said that one was never fully dressed without a hat. Answering the call for this staple of women’s wardrobes were milliners. Approaching its peak in the 1900s, the millinery industry offered rare economic opportunity and personal advancement for women as they entered the workforce.
The art of women’s hat-making had long existed. The term “milliner” gained popularity in the Middle Ages, being named after the fashion and textile hub of Milan. However, in the 19th century, the Second Industrial Revolution provided a boon for the profession, as available technology greatly facilitated production and allowed the latest fashion trends broader accessibility. Largely made for women by women, elaborate and stylish hats became a staple accessory in ladies’ fashion. Indeed, when the profession approached its peak in the United States around 1910, approximately 98% of its ranks were female. Becoming integral parts of their local economy, they were able to operate successful businesses that allowed for a degree of personal and financial independence.
A reflection of this can be seen in Morris County, as a number of local women operated as milliners, sharing their talents with the community. As of 1915, there were 14 milliners advertising their services in Morristown alone. Among them were the Searing sisters, Sarah Matilda (“Tillie”) and Mary Araminta (“Mintie”), who opened The Searing Fine Millinery in the 1880s. As was often observed at the time, the Searing sisters continued to operate their business until they each married. Another local milliner, Elizabeth F. Jones, entered the profession at age 17, and within five years opened her own shop on South Street, remaining in business until 1930 when she became a buyer for, and eventual head of, Epstein’s millinery department.
By the mid-20th century, such department stores increasingly replaced individual milliners. Around the same time, the wearing of hats among women also declined. Only three decades after it counted itself among the top 10 professions for women, the millinery industry no longer made the cut. By 1930, with more women than ever in the workforce, it was replaced by other careers such as telephone operator, teacher, or stenographer. However, with the examples of their handiwork that remain, the talents of those pioneering milliners are worthy of a tip of the hat today.
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