18th Century Women’s Panniers and Hoops

Last updated: Feb 20, 2024

The London Tradesman has quite a lot to say about hooped petticoats, their history, and their manufacture, but for our purposes, the most useful bit is this:

The Materials are ſtriped Holland, Silk, or Check, according to the Quality of the Fair, to be incloſed, and ſupported with Rows of Whale-Bone, or Rattan.

• Met 1973.65.2, British, c. 1750
• KCI AC7682 93-1-4, “pannier of cotton chintz with oval rattan hoops and padding,” c. 1775
• V&A T.120-1969, 1778
• Manchester 1953.431
• Royal Ontario Museum
• Met 26.56.52, Italy
• National Trust 1350052 (Snowshill Wade Costume Collection), c. 1750-1760; see also An unnatural Protuberance … Paniers, hoops and bustles
• LACMA M.2007.211.981, “linen plain weave and cane,” England, c. 1750-1780
• Göteborg Stadsmuseum 4227, 18th century pocket hoops (linen and rattan?)
• Pocket hoop/panniers at Nordiska Museet: NM.0222417A-B (c. 1750-1790), NM.0173628A-B (c. 1750-1790), NM.0024428
• Colonial Williamsburg 1990-11, New York, c. 1755-1785 (see also Costume Close-Up)
• GNM T901, c. 1760
• GNM T3070, c. 1760
• Centraal Museum 5311, hoop lined with striped linen, c. 1770
• Nordiska Museet NM.0001008, showing the transition between pocket hoops and a false rump all in one undergarment, c. 1770-1810
• Colonial Williamsburg 1968-646,4, linen and cane hoops, England, c. 1785
• Met C.I.53.51.16, American
• Met 2008.297a, b, France, late 18th century