In 1850, Mrs. Mary Simpkins and her stepdaughter, Joanna, advertised their millinery business on Water Street. “Straw Bonnets, Ribbons, Flowers, Laces, Caps, Silk Bonnets plain and drawn ...

It is estimated that by 1810, the Massachusetts straw bonnet industry was worth about $500,000 ($10.7 million in 2021). If this figure is extrapolated throughout the U.S., ...