Old woman in sunbonnet (c. 1930). Photograph by Doris Ulmann

Bonnets are a variety of headgear for both sexes, which have in common only the absence of a brim.^[1] Bonnet derives from the same word in French, where it originally indicated a type of material. In the 21st century, only a few kinds of headgear are still referred to as bonnets, most commonly those worn by babies and Scottish soldiers.

Bonnet

Babies[link]

The most common kind of bonnet worn today is a soft headcovering for babies. They are shaped similarly to the kind of bonnets women used to wear, that is they cover the hair and ears, but not the forehead. See also Coif.

Women[link]

Mme de Pompador by Drouais, 1763-64: the very picture of domesticity

In the mid-17th and 18th century "house bonnets" worn by women and girls were generally brimless headcoverings which were secured by tying under the chin, and which covered no part of the forehead. They were worn indoors, to keep the hair tidy, (illustration, left) and outdoors, to keep dust out of the hair. With hairstyles becoming increasingly elaborate after 1770, the "calash" bonnet was worn outdoors to protect the hair from wind and weather: a hood of silk or black taffeta stiffened with whalebone or arched cane battens, collapsible like a fan or the calash top of a carriage, they were fitted with ribbons to allow them to be held secure in a gale.

The Marquise de Pezé and the Marquise de Rouget with Her Two Children, Elisabeth Vigée-LeBrun (1787)

In Paris during the 1780s, light, unstructured bonnets were fashionable (illustration, right): Mme de Pezé's is of gauze with a border of gold threads, while Mme de Rouget is even more informally coiffed à la Turque, with a loose turban of striped silk.

From Waterloo, more structured fashionable bonnets made by milliners rapidly grew larger. A plate in La Belle Assemblée 1817 showed a

"Bonnet of vermillion-coloured satin, embossed with straw, ornamented slightly with straw-coloured ribbands, and surmounted by a bouquet formed of a full blown damask rose and buds, with ears of ripe corn. This ornament is partially placed on one side: the edge of the bonnet finished by blond [lace] laid on strait."

This was specified as a "carriage dress", with the understanding that when taking the air in an open carriage, the bonnet provided some privacy—such a bonnet was in fact an invisible in Paris (caricature below)—and prevent wind-chapping, with its connotations of countrified rude health. Straw was available again after 1815: the best straw bonnets came from Leghorn. As a bonnet developed a peak, it would extend from the entire front of the bonnet, from the chin over the forehead and down the other side of the face. Some styles of bonnets between ca 1817 and 1845 had a large peak which effectively prevented women from looking right or left without turning their heads: a "coal-scuttle" or "poke" bonnet. Others had a wide peak which was angled out to frame the face. In the 1840s it might be crimped at the top to frame the face in a heart shape. As the bonnet became more complicated, under it might be worn a lace cornette to hold the hair in place.^{[citation needed]}

Late 1810s satire on the invisible, or poke bonnet

Bonnets remained one of the most common types of headgear worn by women throughout most of the 19th century. For a widow, a bonnet was de rigueur. Silk bonnets, elaborately pleated and ruched, were worn outdoors, or in public places like shops, galleries, churches, and during visits to acquaintances.

A millinery shop in Paris, 1822

Under the French Second Empire, parasols took the place of protection from sun, and bonnets became smaller and smaller, until they could only be held on the head with hatpins. As hats came back into style, bonnets were increasingly worn by women who wanted to appear modest in public, with the result that bonnets accumulated connotations of dowager wear and dropped from fashion except on the prairies.

The Gleaners, by Jean-François Millet, 1857: a cloth bonnet substitutes for a head kerchief in France as it would in Nebraska

Most middle-class women in the 19th century would have had at least two bonnets, one suitable for summer weather, often made from straw, and one made from heavier fabric for winter wear. This is where the tradition of an Easter bonnet originated, when women would switch from their winter bonnet to their summer bonnet. Wealthier women would have many bonnets, suitable for different occasions.

In some religious groups it has been customary for women to wear bonnets. This was the case among the Friends (Quakers) until well into the 20th century, and is still the case among the Old Order Mennonites and the Amish.^[2] Bonnets were adopted by The Salvation Army as part of uniform regalia for women. Initially, bonnets were introduced as protection for women soldiers and were reinforced with black tar to turn them into helmets. Later versions were smaller when there was no longer any need for protection. The bonnet has now been replaced with a bowler style hat.

Men[link]

The traditional bonnet of the Kilwinning Archers of Scotland.

Various Tam o'Shanters

The word "bonnet" for male headgear was generally replaced in English by cap before 1700, except in Scotland,^[1] where it remains in use, now especially for military headgear, like the Feather bonnet (not to be confused with those worn by Native Americans, for which "bonnet" was also used), Glengarry, Kilmarnock and Balmoral. The Tudor bonnet remains a term for a component of the academic regalia of some universities, and is not unlike the common male bonnet of the 16th century.

"Bonnet" is also the term for the puffy velvet fabric inside the coronet of some male ranks of nobility,^[3] and "the affair of the bonnets" was a furious controversy in the France of Louis XIV over the mutual courtesies due between the magistrates of the Parlement de Paris and the Dukes of France.

The chile pepper Scotch bonnet was named for its resemblance to a bonnet worn by men in Scotland in the past, as it had a pom pom at the top which indicates the difference form the men's bonnet and women's bonnet.

Modern French[link]

The term "Bonnet" remains in use in modern European French (France, Belgium, Switzerland...). Regarding winter headgear, it is mostly used as common denomination for knitted beanies or ski hats. The term is uncommon with Québécois who prefer the term tuque to designate those hats.

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b} OED, "Bonnet"
2. ^ Bender, Harold S. and Sam Steiner. "Bonnet (1953)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 2000. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 2007-04-27.
3. ^ OED, "Bonnet" 4

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bonnets

• Jonathan Walford, "Women's fashion headwear"
• Mixed Fashion Plates 1800-1900, with original descriptive captions

The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page. (January 2012)

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2011)

A collection of headgear

Headgear, headwear or headdress is the name given to any element of clothing which is worn on one's head.

Headgear serve a variety of purposes:

• protection (against impact, cold, heat, rain and other precipitation, glare, sunburn, sunstroke, dust, contaminants, etc.)
• to keep hair contained or tidy
• decoration or fashion
• religious purposes
• medical purposes
• modesty; social convention
• distinction; a badge of office

Overview of headgear types[link]

Bonnets[link]

Piper wearing a Feather bonnet

Bonnets, as worn by women and girls, were hats worn outdoors which were secured by tying under the chin, and often which had some kind of peak or visor. Some styles of bonnets had peaks so large that they effectively prevented women from looking right or left without turning their heads. Bonnets worn by men and boys are generally distinguished from hats by being soft and having no brim—this usage is now rare (they would normally be called caps today, except in Scotland where the "bunnet" is common in both civilian life and in the Royal Regiment of Scotland).

Caps[link]

Caps are generally soft and often have no brim or just a peak (like on a baseball cap). For many centuries women wore a variety of head-coverings which were called caps. For example, in the 18th and 19th centuries a cap was a kind of head covering made of a flimsy fabric such as muslin; it was worn indoors or under a bonnet by married women, or older unmarried women who were "on the shelf" (e.g. mob-cap). An ochipok is part of traditional Ukrainian costume.

Crowns[link]

Some headgear, such as the crown, coronet, and tiara, have evolved into jewelry. These headgear are worn as a symbol of nobility or royal status. Kokoshnik is part of Russian traditional dress, often worn by nobility.

Fillets[link]

A fillet or circlet is a round band worn around the head and over the hair. Elaborate and costly versions of these eventually evolved into crowns, but fillets could be made from woven bands of fabric, leather, beads or metal. Fillets are unisex, and are especially prevalent in archaic to renaissance dress.

Hair covers[link]

Hairnets are used to prevent loose hair from contaminating food or work areas. A snood is a net or fabric bag pinned or tied on at the back of a woman's head for holding the hair. Scarves are used to protect styled hair or keep it tidy. Shower caps and swim caps prevent hair from becoming wet or entangled during activity.

Hats[link]

Napoléon Bonaparte in his familiar bicorne hat

Hats often have a brim all the way around the rim, and may be either placed on the head, or secured with hat-pins (which are pushed through the hat and the hair). Depending on the type of hat, they may be properly worn by men, by women or by both sexes.

Helmets[link]

Helmets are designed to protect the head, and sometimes the neck, from injury. They are usually rigid, and offer protection from blows. Helmets are commonly worn in battle, on construction sites and in many contact sports (most commonly being associated with American football). In most of the United States they are required by law for anyone operating a range of vehicles including motorcycles, and sometimes extending to bicycles and skateboards.

Hoods[link]

Queen Mary I of England wearing a French hood

Modern hoods are generally soft headcoverings which are an integral part of a larger garment, like an overcoat, shirt or cloak.

Historically, hoods were either similar to modern hoods, or a separate form of headgear. In medieval Europe hoods with short capes, called chaperons in French, were extremely common, and later evolved into elaborate and adaptable hats. Women's hoods varied from close-fitting, soft headgear to stiffened, structured hoods (e.g. gable hoods, hennins or French hoods) or very large coverings made of material over a frame which fashionable women wore over towering wigs or hairstyles to protect them from the elements (e.g. calash).

Masks[link]

A mask is worn over part or all of the face, frequently to disguise the wearer, but sometimes to protect the face. Masks are often worn for pleasure to disguise the wearer at fancy dress parties, masqued balls, during Halloween or other festivals, or as part of an artistic performance. They may also be worn by criminals to prevent recognition or as camouflage while they commit a crime. Masks which physically protect the wearer vary in design, from guard bars across the face in the case of ice hockey goalkeepers, to facial enclosures which purify or control the wearer's air supply, as in gas masks.

Turban[link]

Moche ceramic vessel depicting a man wearing a turban. Larco Museum Collection. Lima-Peru

Turbans are headgear, mostly for males, made up from a single piece of cloth which is wrapped around the head in a wide variety of styles. Turban is the best known word in English for a large category of headgear and general head wraps traditionally worn in many parts of the world.

Turbans for women are a popular choice during chemotherapy treatment as an alternative to wigs, hats, headscarves and headbands. Turbans for women made in natural fabrics are both comfortable and functional. The Breast Cancer Care booklet, Breast cancer and hair loss suggests "You may want to wear a soft hat or turban in bed to collect loose hairs"^[1]

Wigs[link]

Wigs are headpieces made from natural or synthetic hair which may be worn to disguise baldness or thin hair, or as part of a costume. A toupee may be worn by a man to cover partial baldness. In most Commonwealth nations, special wigs are also worn by barristers, judges, and certain parliamentary officials as a symbol of the office.

Veils and head wraps[link]

Hesquiat woman veiled in a shawl.

A veil is a piece of sheer fabric that covers all or part of the face. For centuries women covered their hair, neck, ears, chin, and parts of the face with fabric. Each culture created elaborate head wraps for women and men using a shawl, headscarf, kerchief or veil. Very elaborate veiling practices are common in Islam, Africa and Eastern Europe. Women who don't cover their head on a regular basis, often use a veil in traditional wedding and funeral ceremonies.

Orthodontic[link]

Used to control the growth of the maxillary and mandibular bones during orthodontic treatment.

Purpose of headgear[link]

Protection or defense[link]

A "cheche" or "tagelmoust" turban, worn by men and women in Saharan Africa as protection against wind and sand

Moche ceramic vessel showing a warrior wearing headgear. Larco Museum Collection. Lima, Peru.

The most common use of headgear is as protection for the head and eyes.

A baseball cap is used by sports players to keep the sun out of their eyes, and by some chefs to keep the hair out of their food. Traditionally, silk chef's hats are used for this purpose. A rain hat has a wide rim to keep the rain out of the wearer's face. Some traditional types of hat such as the Mexican sombrero also serve this purpose.

There are also the full range of helmets. There are also hats that are worn for protection from the cold. These include many varieties of fur hats, and also the Canadian tuque.

Fashion[link]

Young Bedouin man wearing a North African version of the fez.

Headgear is also an article of fashion. The formal man's black silk top hat was formerly an indispensable portion of the suit, and women's hats have, over the years, attained a fantastic number of shapes ranging from immense confections to no more than a few bits of cloth and decorations piled on top of the head. Some hats, such as Deep Blue Sea, are showpiece creations created more as works of art than as practical items of fashion, and may be worth thousands or millions of dollars. Recently, the hat as an article of formal wear has fallen out of fashion, though some kinds of hats other than baseball caps may be included in young people's subcultural fashions.

Religious significance[link]

Woman from Gümerdiğin with headscarf

Woman wearing a scarf wrapped around her head and face as a niqab, a popular style in the Levant region.

Some headgear is worn for religious practice. Observant Jewish men wear Kippahs, small cloth skull-caps, because they believe the head should be covered in the presence of God. Some Jewish men wear yarmulkes at all times, others in the synagogue. Married Jewish women wear a headscarf called a tichel.

Similar to the yarmulke is the zucchetto worn by Roman Catholic clergy. Other forms of apostolic headgear include the mitre, biretta, tasselled cardinal's hat, and the papal tiara. Orthodox Christian clergy and monastics often wear a skufia, a kamilavkion, or a klobuk. See also the fez (clothing). The term red hat, when used within the Roman Catholic Church, refers to the appointment of a Cardinal, a senior Prince of the Church, who is a member of the electoral college that chooses the Pope. On being appointed to the cardinalate, he is said to have received the red hat, or cardinal's biretta.

Male Sikhs are required to wear turbans.

In Islam, the Hijab, or headscarf, is worn by women because it is considered modest. Muslim men also wear a skullcap called a "kufi" or taqiyah (cap). Until more recent times, men in most Muslim societies were rarely seen without headdress of some sort. The doppa originating in the Caucasus is worn by Kazan Tatars, Uzbeks and Uyghurs. Conservative Muslims in Indonesia and Malaysia, especially in the rural areas, are often seen wearing a thin kopiah.

The black satin headgear called or known as fenta or topi is a pillbox-shaped skullcap, worn by Zarathushtris Zoroastrians. It is considered in the Zarathushtri religion to be of vital importance in the attainment of Urvaan, the Zoroastrian equivalent of Buddhist Nirvana. In earlier times, a very saucer-shaped, red and white striped kipah was the hallmark of the Zarathushtri.

Buddhist priests in China wear the bao-tzu (more commonly known as the mao-tzu, 帽子 Mandarin màozi), the classic skullcap that is the most like the Jewish tradition. In Japan, the cap is more in the form of a pillbox and is called the boshi (帽子). Though not of ecclesiastical significance, the Buddhist skullcap does denote something about the priest's standing in the community.

Switzerland is home to the Cup-and-Ring (or Kuppa-unt-Hinge) skullcap, a straw cap with embroidered flowers, a small pompom in the center, and velvet strips sewn round it in rings. This cap was traditionally worn by shepherds for luck and by married men (for fertility).

Symbol of status or office[link]

Headgear such as crowns and tiaras are worn in recognition of noble status especially among royalty. Wigs are worn traditionally by judges and barristers of Commonwealth nations. Feathered headpieces are worn by various Native North American and South American indigenous peoples, such as the Urarina of Peruvian Amazonia as a sign of status and sacred knowledge.[1]

Headgear etiquette[link]

Bororo Indian men, Matto Grosso, Brazil.

In the Western culture derived from Christian tradition, removing one's headgear is a sign of respect, making oneself more open, humble or vulnerable, much like bowing or kneeling. This is as if to say, "I acknowledge that you are more powerful than I am, I make myself vulnerable to show I pose no threat to you and respect you." Men's hats are removed in Church, and not removing them is usually frowned upon. Women, however, are required to wear a hat to cover the head in some churches based on 1 Corinthians 11:5.

In the Jewish tradition, the converse idea equally shows respect for the superior authority of God. Wearing a kippah or yarmulke means the wearer is acknowledging the vast gulf of power, wisdom, and authority that separates God from mankind. It is a sign of humility to wear a yarmulke. There is a common phrase that explains this, saying that "there's always something above you" if you're wearing a yarmulke, helping you remember you're human and God is infinite. A Talmudic quote speaks of a righteous man who would "not walk (six feet) with an uncovered head, the (spirit of God) is always above him". Jews also may wear a fur hat or a black hat with a brim.

In Islamic etiquette, wearing headgear is perfectly permissible while saying prayers at a mosque, see taqiyah (cap) for further information. [2].

In the military, there are specific rules about when and where to wear a hat (also known as a 'cover' in America). Hats are generally worn outdoors only, at sea as well as on land; however, personnel carrying firearms typically also wear their hats indoors. Removing one's hat is also a form of salute. Many schools also have this rule due to the fact that many younger men tend to wear baseball caps and this being in relations to gangs depending on the side in which the hat is worn.

As a guideline, a man should remove his hat to show respect for the dead, when a national anthem is played or in the presence of royalty, in a church or courtroom, and during other solemn occasions, when meeting someone, and indoors while in the presence of a lady (though there is no actual relationship to uncovered heads and any of those places and situations). A woman may continue wearing her hat, unless she is wearing what is considered a unisex hat, such as a baseball cap, when she should remove her hat as well. Women usually do not take off their hats in these situations because they may be carefully pinned to their hair but take off their hats only in their own homes.

Finally, the hat can be raised (briefly removed and replaced, with either hand), or "tipped" (touched or tilted forward) as a greeting.

Beginnings[link]

There are two types of hats: with brims and without. Necessity and fashion are the reason people wear hats. The first manufactured hats were nothing more than a round piece of leather. A circle of holes about the size of one's head was punched in the leather, and a string was then woven through those holes and pulled tight to hold the hat snugly to the head. The hatband separated the crown from the brim.

The wide floppy brim was tied up with a ribbon, to keep it out of one’s eyes. Some times when the ribbon was off they would see that the brim stayed curled by itself. This led to the hand-curled brim.

Brims were bound with ribbon to keep them from fraying after being trimmed with the knife. Although advancements in materials have eliminated the need for binding the brim, or pinning it up, the custom remains. We must keep our brims curled up because long ago hatters did not know how to stiffen a brim.

When men went off to do battle it was customary to wear a feather from their loved one. Because men were mostly right-handed they lead when sword fighting with the right side. At first they would stick the feather in the adjusting hatband. Unless they wanted to fight blind, surviving duelers moved the feather and knot, to the left side of the hat, where it remains today. As time went on, they would wrap a ribbon around the crown to hold the feather and hide the tie string knot.

When leather turned to velvet some protection was needed to keep the soft fabric from falling on people’s hair, this is where the lining came from. Even though modern hats are stiff enough not to collapse, the custom remains. Individual sizing eliminated the need for the tie string, but the bow remains at the back of the hat, serving as a memorial to bygone hatters. What has evolved from necessity later became fashion.^[2]

Hats like the cowboy hat were designed from the fur up, to provide a lightweight all-weather shield from the climatic conditions of the American West. Hats like the baseball cap were designed to provide shade.

See also[link]

Gemology and Jewelry portal

• List of hats and headgear
• Chapeaugraphy—an act in which a ring of felt is shaped to resemble many hat types

References[link]

1. ^ http://www.breastcancercare.org.uk/search-results/*/changeTemplate/PublicationDisplay/publicationId/12/
2. ^ Wolff, Edwin Daniel. Why We Do It. Manchester, N.H.: Ayer Company Publishers [Freeport, N.Y.: Books for Libraries Press, 1968, reprint of 1929]. ISBN 0-8369-1006-0.

External links[link]

Look up headgear or headdress, headwear, or headware in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Headgear

• Headwear Ideas
• About Head Covering

Doris Eaton Travis
Doris Eaton Travis in about 1920, during the Ziegfeld Follies years
Born	Doris Eaton (1904-03-14)March 14, 1904 Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
Died	May 11, 2010(2010-05-11) (aged 106) Commerce, Michigan, U.S.[1]
Occupation	Actress, dancer, author, Teacher/Instructor.
Years active	1910–2010 (100 years)
Spouse	Paul Travis (1900-2000); (m.1930–2000) Joe Gorham (1923)

Doris Eaton Travis (March 14, 1904 – May 11, 2010)^[2] was a Broadway and film performer, dance instructor, and author. She was also the last surviving Ziegfeld girl.

Travis began performing onstage as a young child, and made her Broadway debut at the age of 13. A year later, in 1918, she joined entrepreneur Florenz Ziegfeld who founded the famed Ziegfeld Follies as the youngest Ziegfeld Girl ever cast in the show. She continued to perform in stage productions and silent films throughout the 1920s and early 1930s. As of 2010, she was, along with Miriam Seegar and Barbara Kent, one of the last surviving non-child actors who appeared in silent films.

When her career in stage and screen declined, she started a second career as an Arthur Murray dance instructor and local television personality in Detroit. Her association with Arthur Murray lasted for three decades, during which time she rose through the ranks to own and manage a chain of nearly 20 schools. After retiring from her career with Arthur Murray, she went on to manage a horse ranch with her husband and returned to school, eventually earning several degrees.

In her later years, Travis had returned to the public eye. As the last surviving Ziegfeld Girl, she was featured in several books and documentaries about the Ziegfeld Follies and her other stage endeavors. Eaton Travis had also returned to the stage as a featured performer in benefit performances for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Early life and career[link]

Doris Eaton Travis in her youth

Doris Eaton was born on March 14, 1904 in Norfolk, Virginia to Mary and Charles Eaton and was raised as a Christian Scientist.^[3] She was one of seven children in the family.^[4] Eaton began attending dance lessons in Washington, D.C., along with her sisters Mary and Pearl Eaton, aged four. In 1911, all three sisters were hired for a production of Maurice Maeterlinck's fantasy play The Blue Bird at the Shubert Belasco Theatre in Washington. While Eaton had a minor role in the show, as a sleeping child in the Palace of Night scene, it marked the beginning of her career in professional theatre.^[5]

After The Blue Bird, in 1912, the three Eaton sisters and their younger brother Joe began appearing in various plays and melodramas for the Poli Stock Company. They quickly gained reputations as professional, reliable, and versatile actors, and were rarely out of work.^[5]

In 1915, all three sisters appeared in a new production of The Blue Bird for Poli. Doris and Mary were given the starring roles of Mytyl and Tyltyl. The siblings were subsequently invited to reprise their roles for a New York and road tour of the play, produced by the Shubert Brothers. When the show closed, Doris and her brother Charlie, who had followed his four siblings into show business, resumed their work with Poli and appeared together in their first Broadway show, Mother Carey's Chickens at the Cort Theatre. The entire Eaton family relocated to New York City, where the children pursued their careers in various stage projects.^[5][6]

[edit] Ziegfeld Follies years

By 1918, Pearl Eaton had become a dancer and assistant to the director with the Ziegfeld Follies. The Follies were a series of elaborate musical revues on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. Inspired by the Folies Bergères of Paris, the Follies were conceived and mounted by Florenz Ziegfeld.^[7] When Doris accompanied Pearl to a rehearsal, dance supervisor Ned Wayburn spotted her and hired her for a role in the summer touring company of the 1918 Follies.^[8][9]

The day she finished the eighth grade, Doris began rehearsals to become a Ziegfeld girl in the Follies.^[10] To circumvent child labor laws and the attention of the Gerry Society, she performed under the stage names "Doris Levant" (actually her young niece's name) and "Lucille Levant". As soon as she turned sixteen, she began using her real name again. Wayburn was one of only a few people who were aware of her true age, and arranged for her mother to accompany her on the Follies tour as a paid member of the company.^[5][9]

Eaton Travis would associate with Ziegfeld for several years, appearing in the 1918, 1919, and 1920 editions of the Ziegfeld Follies and the 1919 Midnight Frolics.^[6] She was the understudy to star Marilyn Miller. Doris was not the only member of the Eaton family to prosper in the show: by 1922, Mary, Pearl, Doris, Joe, and ten-year old Charlie had all performed in one edition of the Follies or another. Doris' last appearance with the Follies was in the 1920 edition.^[5][8]

Eaton Travis made her motion picture debut at the age of 17 in the 1921 romantic drama At the Stage Door, opposite silent film star Billie Dove. Her career flourished in the 1920s and early 1930s. She appeared in a number of additional silent films, including Tell Your Children with director Donald Crisp in England and Egypt; performed in five different Broadway shows and danced in the Hollywood Music Box Revue and the Gorham Follies in Los Angeles and the Hollywood Club in New York.^[5][8][11]

While in the Hollywood Music Box Revue, Eaton Travis premiered two important songs, both composed by Nacio Herb Brown: "Singin' in the Rain" and "The Doll Dance." Doris was the lyricist for the latter song, but did not receive due credit.

Aged 18, Doris Eaton married Joe Gorham, the producer of the Gorham Follies. The marriage was opposed by the Eaton clan, and quickly regretted by the young Doris when Gorham, who was twice her age, revealed a cruel and abusive nature. The union lasted for six months, ending when Gorham died of a heart attack.^[5][8]

Second and third careers[link]

Travis performed in her final Broadway show, the play Merrily We Roll Along at the Music Box Theatre, in 1935.^[6] Her career, along with those of her siblings, declined in the 1930s. She returned to work in stock theatrical productions on Long Island and had a brief, albeit unsuccessful, foray into vaudeville with her brother Charlie.^[5]

In 1936, she was hired by the Arthur Murray Dance Studios in New York as a tap dance instructor. She remained with the Arthur Murray company for thirty-two years, advancing from teaching to owning her own school. Eventually Eaton Travis established and owned a total of eighteen Arthur Murray studios across Michigan. She authored a column of dance advice and commentary for the Detroit News entitled "On Your Toes" and hosted a local television program for seven years.^[5][9][12]

One of her pupils, inventor and engineer Paul Travis, became her husband after an 11-year courtship. Their marriage lasted over fifty years, until Paul's death in 2000; they had no children.^[5][12] After retiring from the dance studio business in 1968, Eaton Travis and her husband moved to Norman, Oklahoma, and established a ranch. The initial 220-acre (89 ha) plot grew to 880 acres (356 ha), and many of the quarter-horses bred and raised on the ranch had success in racing. The ranch operated largely as a boarding facility, managed by Eaton Travis, until 2008.^[8][12]

Later life[link]

Doris Eaton Travis in April 2010 aged 106

In 1992, aged 88, Eaton Travis graduated cum laude from the University of Oklahoma.^[5] She was awarded an honorary doctorate from Oakland University in 2004 at the age of 100.

In 1997, she and four former Ziegfeld Girls reunited for the reopening of the New Amsterdam Theatre. She later recalled that she was the only one still able to dance.^[4]

In 1998, Eaton Travis returned to Broadway and the New Amsterdam Theatre, the same venue where she had first appeared in 1918, 80 years earlier, to participate in the Easter Bonnet Competition, a benefit for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. She became the show's "lucky charm" and an audience favorite, and continued to appear in the production almost every year, often presenting renditions of her old dances to standing ovations from the audience.^[5][9][13] In 1999 she made her first film appearance in over sixty-five years with a small role in Man on the Moon with Jim Carrey.^[11]

She appeared in several documentaries and interviews about the Ziegfeld Follies and her siblings and colleagues; she also published an autobiography and family history, entitled The Days We Danced, in 2003.^[4] In 2006, Eaton Travis was the subject of a photo-collage biography by Pulitzer Prize nominee Lauren Redniss entitled Century Girl: 100 Years in the Life of Doris Eaton Travis, Last Living Star of the Ziegfeld Follies.

In January 2008 Eaton Travis served as the Grand Marshal of the opening parade for the Art Deco Weekend festival in Miami Beach.^[12] Her last public appearance was the opening of the 2010 Easter Bonnet show on April 27, 2010.^[2] After a long life and career, Eaton Travis died of an aneurysm on May 11, 2010.^[14] On May 12, the lights of Broadway were dimmed in her honor.^[4] She is interred in the Guardian Angel Cemetery in Rochester, Michigan.^[15]

See also[link]

Biography portal

• Charles Eaton
• Mary Eaton
• Pearl Eaton
• The Seven Little Eatons
• Ziegfeld Follies

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Redniss, Lauren. Century Girl: 100 Years in the Life of Doris Eaton Travis, Last Surviving Star of the Ziegfeld Follies, New York, Harper Collins, 2006, ISBN 978-0-06-085333-4.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Doris Eaton Travis

• Interview with Lauren Redniss
• Profile of Travis from Art Deco Weekend 2008
• NPR: The Oldest Living Ziegfeld Girl
• Doris Eaton Travis at the Internet Movie Database
• Doris Eaton Travis at Find a Grave