Baby’s cap

Baby hats are a special kind of products of the peoples of Southeast Asia, their design is nothing like that of men’s hats (men’s hats are almost never seen now) nor women’s. That is why this baby cap, which was brought from the town of Luang Prabang, Laos, is so different and peculiar. It is made by women belonging to one of the many branches of the Hmong people (or Miao), inhabiting the vast mountainous region in South China, North Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. It consists of a cylindrical base with a wide manually embroidered top with a sewn-on beaded fringe on the perimeter. Laos, prov. Attapeu, 20th cent.