Sweet Dreams: a History of the Nightcap

[@inisipisTV]

"Could I interest you for a Night-cap" "No thanks. I don’t wear them" - Frank Drebin.

[@ve2vfd]

Surely you can't be serious!?

[@Riceball01]

​@@ve2vfdI am, and stop calling me Shirley.

[@Dr.K.Wette_BE]

Oooh, ZAZ fans around ! 👍

[@scented-leafpelargonium3366]

😂😂😂😂

[@piccalillipit9211]

*I'M A HISTORICAL TAILOR* and for a laugh I made a traditional night cap with a long tail - THEY ARE GREAT...!!! You would think the long tail would pull it off in the night, but actually what you do is lay on the pillow, pull the tail over your upper side ear and tuck it under your arm. THIS keeps your head AND ear warm and blocks a LOT of sound. I'm always fascinated by how seemingly strange historical clothes have GREAT actual purpose.

[@FatherDraven]

I've actually been thinking of getting or making one recently since I'm living the tent life. My current beanie that I sleep in at night has been falling apart ( and was given to me by one persona non grata ). You might have given me the impetus to hook up my sewing machine and give it a go!

[@piccalillipit9211]

@@FatherDraven I lost mine last winter but I lived it so much I made another. Bit of advice - its NOT a cone, its a tube for about 150mm THEN its a cone. Roll the 150mm bit into a 50mm hem and stitch in place, that goes around your head so it needs to be the circumference of your head - 57xm for me. Its literally 10 minutes to make one.

[@tomryan914]

Not to brag, but I tuck mine under my arm⚠

[@alexgrover1456]

The US Army used to issue one with their old sleep systems. I still had one issued in the nineties.

[@ixchelkali]

People who lose their hair from chemotherapy sometimes wear nightcaps, both for warmth and because their scalp is sometimes sensitive. When my sister had chemotherapy, I had my head shaved in solidarity and I was surprised how cold it got at night. I got a nightcap to wear to bed until my hair grew out. I wouldn't mind wearing a soft flannel cap to bed if it didn't mash my hair flat.

[@mr611man]

I live off grid, in a wood-heated cabin, on top of a mountain. It can be bitter cold in the winter here. Ordered me a heavy flannel nightcap (that looks identical to yours) and matching nightshirt. Love it!Works great! Very cozy...

[@dylanakent]

Where did you order from?

[@scented-leafpelargonium3366]

Would being "off grid" not mean making your own cap? 🤔

[@pqlasmdhryeiw8]

I've been wearing a nightcap in bed for 5 years now and it's wonderful. I love how snug my ears feel. It muffles sounds, it can cover your eyes, and it adds warmth when needed. Nightcaps have changed my sleep hygiene.

[@TheGeekViper]

With the prevalence of people that wear pajamas out in public and to the store, I think the night cap being a symbol of going to sleep is needed now more than ever 😂

[@KeithPrince-cp3me]

Funnily enough I'd just retired to bed when I saw this new video, so I watched it appropriately from bed.

[@PaulDekleva]

I’m 62 years old and wear a beanie to bed during winter as I suffer from male pattern baldness. Definitely wear a beanie when camping. My late father in law wore an old fashioned sleeping cap up to the day he died in 2017.

[@davidthedeaf]

When sick, my late gramma insisted I wear a cap over my head. She said helps heal by keeping the heat in my body while sleeping. I still do this. I actually think I would like to have a dedicated sleeping cap for that reason. She was born in 1917, and was raised through the early 1930s in a home without electricity, so that plus her Victorian era parents may have influenced on her the need of a cap at night. She always wore one over her curlers too. Additionally, I try to save money by not heating the whole apartment. So having one would be just as wise as back when they were in full use. Lastly, heat rises. So in the daytime you lose most of your bodily heat out the top of the head. This alone is a good reason during daytime to have a hat on during the chilly seasons, and a different cap to protect your head from the sun the rest of the year. Since most people use at least one pillow when sleeping, the head would be not just exposed out of the covers, but also elevated above the heart, and thus drain the body from heat. If you do not have a well heated sleeping place, you would be wise to wear a soft cap too.

[@lawrencecarlstrom3465]

That was a good one. Strangely, I was just wondering about this, and there you were with the information. Thanks.

[@wayner396]

That is odd as i was just thinking about them a couple days ago. Good timing

[@raf.raf.]

Yo, same! Been playing Pentiment and was wondering about why this hat is (was) a thing.

[@DesertRoamerUK]

I've been wearing a nightcap for the past couple of winters as I've been saving on electricity by not using heating. I found that a regular beanie would always slip off while asleep but the nightcap wraps around my neck and the ball at the end either lodges between my neck and the mattress or I hold it in my hand. Either way it stays on all night.

[@brittakriep2938]

In Germany a few decades ago a medicine called ,Darmol' appeared often in TV spots or newspaper advertises . The PR figure was a man with nightgown and a nightcap, walking through a dark house with a candle in his hand. In caricatures, the german Michel ' , counterpart to Marianne, John Bull or Uncle Sam , allways wears a nightcap.

[@stephenandersen4625]

When camping in the winter a knit cap is very helpful

[@Richard-r1x7d]

I am watching this for the second time as I fell asleep last time

[@bluesharpandy]

I always enjoy your videos, thank you very much! The German word for Nightcap "Schlafmütze" not only refers to the cap but also to people who like to sleep long, are lazy or slow. Equivalent to the English term "sleepyhead".

[@orthicon9]

I have a buzz-cut so I wear a sort of fleece tam every night. It's great.

[@johnmurdoch8534]

I own two of these and they are very functional.

[@coldlakealta4043]

as always, a few minutes well spent - thoroughly researched and enjoyably presented. I tip my cap to you.

[@KingfisherTalkingPictures]

Adorable. Our house gets very cold in the winter, and we often will add a hat. Usually a beanie or Turkish hat

[@ChorltonBrook]

One thing I like about UK winters is sleeping with the window open while under a warm quilt & using a loose tea cosy pulled down over my eyes.

[@nicholaswoollhead6830]

This is something Ive always wondered about. I remember Donald Duck would wear one but I never knew if it was a quirk of the artists or a real item of clothing. Thank you

[@SnapDash]

How convenient that this came up in my feed just as I was preparing to turn in for the night! I'll try wearing a cap (albeit not a tasselled one). Merci!

[@CAP198462]

“Ma in her kerchief and I in my cap had just settled down for a long winter’s nap. When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.” -A visit from St. Nicholas, 1823.

[@lilykatmoon4508]

That quote ran through my head as well!

[@daveburklund2295]

Night caps are cozy. That's why I wear them.

[@tomray8765]

I wear one, myself in winter and when camping outdoors. I discovered them in historical reenactments and primitive camping. They work GREAT. I found it worth TWO blankets, when sleeping outdoors, and can turn the heat down at night, in winter time. A crew cap works fine too for the same purpose.

[@sallyoakes7709]

".... and I, in my kerchief, and mama, in her cap, had just settled down for a long Winter's nap."

[@ixchelkali]

That's backwards. It's "mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap..."

[@sallyoakes7709]

@@ixchelkali oops!

[@xosferens]

Thank you for your great little histories of hats which I enjoy in English and French. May I suggest you look at the history of the coif which was apparently ubiquitous European male headwear for hundreds of years (frequently seen in medieval illuminated manuscripts depicting everyday life) and which lingers as modest headwear for women among certain religious/cultural groups.

[@catpatrick3838]

Love learning the history of nightcaps. I started wearing a satin bonnet at night a couple of months ago. Honestly, all women and girls, all hair types, should wear one. Makes for very healthy hair. Prevents breakage, reduces tangles and keeps the hair from drying out. My hair has never been healthier. I still wear a beanie camping when the nights are cold though 😂.

[@martinfiedler4317]

I wear a traditional night shirt and matching night cap when I'm in our country-side vacation home in spring or fall. Heating there doesn't work, as it was built in the 60s and as this sleepwear is surprisingly practicable and comfortable, I am hesitant to "waste" money on repairs 😅

[@BaronessErsatz]

I'm tempted to wear one now, as the fan ruffling my hair isn't conducive to sleep!

[@iainmulholland2025]

You certainly capped off this video 😃, looking forward to the next one.

[@kevingluys3063]

One day we'll get an episode on the propeller beanie, I know it 🤞

[@mimisler]

My dad and brother use beanies as night caps. They use it as a combination eye mask/ear muffs, and since my dad is quite bald, it keeps his head warm. I think at one point in time he used a proper night cap, but I don't remember what happened to it.

[@MaiMyTie]

I wear a lightweight beanie at night for warmth much of the year. I shave what little hair still grows on my scalp and the desert nights, as you said, can be quite cold.

[@13JonnyR]

Thanks, informative video.

[@Dr.K.Wette_BE]

I think that my attraction for obsolete attributes will make me adopt the night hat ! 😉

[@Frisco1355]

Would you consider doing an episode (or short) on the leather aviator hat?

[@philipsmith7913]

A fascinating and well researched video - as usual.

[@Noblebird02]

the miracle is keeping it on. I wear a silk bonnet to bed and it never. ever stays on overnight

[@stefanietait]

I was waiting for you to mention that we wear our bonnets to protect our hair. Thank you.

[@zainmudassir2964]

Looks comfy

[@craigsawyer6453]

Great video as always!

[@drteknical6571]

You showed a man protecting his hair with a slouch hat! (at 8:24). Can you please do a video on the SLOUCH HAT? Love your channel. Thanks.

[@hystericalkeys8891]

Merci mon vieux!

[@judithdomangue9995]

I first noticed that people wore nightcaps in the book ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas. I loved that book. 😴 Sleep well.

[@jerrystaley1563]

I'm always impressed with your many videos in your fascinating, novel and entertaining way of explaining each particular version of hats. Sadly, today in America, we only see cowboy hats or baseball/gimmie caps. Even worse, most of the caps are worn bass ackwards.

[@bcase5328]

Another cap like a night-cap is the medieval coif which was worn under other head gear, including gambeson caps under helms.

[@riverAmazonNZ]

When camping I wear a beanie to sleep because it’s so cold

[@xremming]

Great video as always! Love these bits of history through a specific and unique lens (of hats). May we never run out of hats! PS. I believe your channel might find a bit more success if you had a separate channel for the French language videos. Having separate channels for different topics and languages is what KZbin recommends and what most (bigger) KZbinrs also do. I get recommended your French versions of the videos but as I don't understand French and have already seen the English version I never watch them, I suppose others will do the same, lowering the amount of people who click on those videos (giving mixed signals about your videos to "the algorithm").

[@jeanglendinning1860]

i remember my maternal grandfather always wore a night cap and my grandmother used to warm it up for him in front of the fire before he went to bed.

[@mikehart5619]

I have worn a nightcap since I joined the ranks of the combing impaired. I find the knit caps become too hot and itchy at night. I also use the non-hat creation of the head blanket which is made by wrapping a small blanket around one's head.

[@polygonalmasonary]

Another brilliant video, thank you 🙏 I didn’t catch the significance of the bobble on the end? 🇬🇧🙏♥️🌈

[@hathistorianjc]

Usually the ball or tassel, beyond being decorative, was to hide the spot where the loose threads left over from knitting it stuck out.

[@EditioCastigata]

20-ish years ago (25?) we didn’t get issued any nightcaps, but those woven acrylic caps for other purposes as amphibious unit. Wool would’ve been damaged by (sea-)water. Caps served as nightcap and, fun fact as I was a medic, were relatively easy to disinfect at low washing programe temperatures. We wore them day and night, which gave some notoriousness: “Who the f- wears a wool beanie in a warzone‽”

[@dr.chrismort8448]

Nice one👍

[@goose6604]

Keep it up! I love this channel. Its funny you released this so late at night. Perfect time

[@yourhighschoolenglishteach8405]

great video! my grandfather was born in the philippines, and he would always wear a disposable sock over his hair to protect it while he slept.

[@SamAronow]

I slept at least one night this winter while wearing a beanie/toque. The principles are sound.

[@randelbrooks]

I love the way you researched it and started way back with wigs and everything else. Very well done. You might talk about snoods. What about Hercule Poirot and his snood to protect his carefully waxed mustache??! Merci!

[@JM-rp5lo]

Please do a video on the Pakol/ Pakul!

[@MerchHelen]

Great work! I learned so much. Thank you. ❤

[@Synystr7]

I wear toques when I sleep outside so as to avoid bugs getting in my ear.

[@SharonPadget]

Always makes me think of Scrooge.

[@graemescobie1623]

I have a funny question. That is I just watched your video on boater hats. I am looking for a yellow vest and saw yours its the perfect colour for what I need. I was just wondering where you got it? I have searched and found lots but not quite the right colour. Graeme

[@hathistorianjc]

It's originally a hunting vest that belonged to my grandfather, you might try a place like Cordings in the UK

[@djangoensor7622]

Is there a relation to the Bonnet de Police with the nightcap? They have very similar designs but in both this and the video about the sidecap you didn't say anything?

[@hathistorianjc]

Nothing particularly direct other than being an easy shape to make. It's more of a coincidence based on ease of manfacture than any direct link.

[@jonc4403]

I'd be more interested in an active cooling cap for sleeping. I'm always having to flip the pillows to find a cold spot.

[@boredincan]

I DID find this interesting. This is the first video that I've seen where you struggle with your second language. Your English is perfect, and roughly ten bajillion times better than my French, but you did stutter and stumble a little. I do applaud you from not shying away from ethnic differences with hair. With the "largely French blob" that used to make up the continent of Africa, this is a subject that you could have also stumbled over. You, speaking as an historian, must address every past and modern implication of your subject. I, a white fellah, think you handled it well.

[@hathistorianjc]

Part of my problem is that I was drugged up on anti-allergy meds, which made me very drowsy. Technically I am a native English speaker (along with French), but I was struggling a little that day because of the antihistamines. But I kept it, as I figured looking a little sleepy fit with the theme of the hat ;p

[@sarahrosen4985]

​@@hathistorianjcas a fellow allergy sufferer, I tip my hat to you. 😊

[@RjWolf3000]

I don’t understand the tassel. Doesn’t that bother your ear all night?

[@thebamfordman]

I used to wear one with a traditional nightshirt. I didn't replace it when it wore out.

[@earnestwanderer2471]

As I continue to lose my hair, I’ve actually considered getting a flannel night cap.

[@ms.annthrope415]

It won't help cure main pattern baldness.

[@sarahrosen4985]

Invest in minoxidil instead.

[@p.istaker8862]

Le chapeau de Voyageur would appear to be similar. Perhaps another video subject ?

[@philprice5712]

the picture @3:57 is reminiscent of a kalpac. maybe a future topic?

[@hathistorianjc]

Potentially, if and when I get my hands on one

[@hackbritton3233]

I may have missed this, but why the point and the tuft? It seems a mere comfortable head covering, without those particulars, would be both more convenient and practical.?

[@hathistorianjc]

The pompom you mean? It was generally to hide the loose threads at the end of the hat that were the result of knitting it

[@langmart3]

You could do a video on the red knitted bubble cap (tuque or traditional santa hat in scandinavia). During WW2 Norwegians would wear a red knitted cap as a sign of resistance towards the Nazis.

[@Goetz-von-Luthringshauser]

As I'm used to sometimes smoking the Nightcap of Dunhill (by Peterson nowadays), I would fancy being up for a sleep with a real nightcap ! Especially in the cold days of winter time, after having smoked a good pipe of it.. 😀

[@musikSkool]

I made one several years back. It works a treat at keeping me warm when my room dips below 40 F (4 C). The only problem is when I am asleep my body automatically pulls it off and throws it away, my guess is that it is either ticklish or itchy. I wish that didn't happen since, as I said, it gets pretty cold in my room.

[@uzul42]

Has yours got a long tail and tassel? Others in the comments have noted that those help with keeping it on at night.

[@musikSkool]

@@uzul42 I'll put one on next winter, for sure. I have always wanted an excuse to make a pom pom, tiny, sure, but its the same process, just thicker.

[@Matt.Willoughby]

I often wear a wooly hat to bed, it's very comfortable and is handy to cover your eyes if it's too light. My girlfriend is totally fine with it, only very occasionally mentioning it

[@Floortile]

Hair nets aren’t really a hat - but perhaps should be included here? If British, think: Ena Sharples of Coronation Street fame

[@thomasbeach905]

As a baldie, I always need to wear a nightcap, as heating the room up to where my head would be comfortable would make the rest of me overheat. Apparently we were not intended to be bald. 😢

[@thomasbeach905]

Of course, mine has no point on it, but wearing it is not pointless. 😮

[@hitsurapapel1978]

Hi, can you possibly talk about the history of something like firefighter helmets? I think they're pretty interesting

[@shynosaurasmr7736]

The pointy nightcap is also an integral element of the iconography of the "Deutscher Michel", the "German Michael", an affectionate if somehwat mocking personification of the German people. It is meant to symbolize their homey, unhurried nature

[@wendyrock4260]

Nice, looked at your channel and you need more on ladies hats. Maybe with a guest star or on your own. I like hats, but mostly on others as they don't look good on me.

[@brt5273]

These days I opt for a knitted full head ski mask, the kind with a single large opening that I can pull down under my chin to expose my entire face.

[@Mrdorf14]

I wear a night cap. It’s great during the winter.

[@Czenko16]

Is it ok if you look at a Czapka and king Richard III hat

[@hathistorianjc]

I'll take note of it

[@Czenko16]

Thanks!

[@JorgeCarlosGómez-r9n]

Hello, I'm back. I was just ready to inquire about wigs worn by men in the XVII and XVIII centuries; why? I know they are not hats, but an episode might be interesting.

[@yigarok]

Since I’ve become bald I’ve been sleeping with a beanie hot or cold I just can’t stand the feel of air on my scalp while I sleep I use it to block out the light and cover my eyes especially when I’m sleeping in a communal sleeping area like I did in the military

[@roseoznz]

I was thinking of “‘twas the night before Christmas” …and mamma in her ‘kerchief and I in my cap…

[@kaiserklausmouse]

I wear one every winter

[@Winters_Folly]

I wear a beanie for sleep to prevent cowlicks

[@franckb4281]

Oh and when you do the french version, can you try to find the Arthur's common nightcap from Kaamelott🙂?Good episode ty

[@Skorpychan]

I can't help but laugh at 'how to preserve curls at night'. That's the opposite of my problem; my hair has to be de-curled every morning to drag a comb through it. I've never needed a nightcap because of the hair, too. Even while camping!

[@louislamboley9167]

Why was it made like a cone with a fuzzy ball on the end ?

[@hathistorianjc]

Because a cone was an easy shape to make, and the ball was to hide the loose threads at the end that were the product of how it was made.

[@kevingluys3063]

Ooo!

[@santamanone]

Actually no. Pajamas didn’t become popular until a couple of decades into the 20th Century. Roughly slightly after the nightcap disappeared.

[@cbhlde]

Good morning! ;)

[@helenvojtko9673]

I hope that you never run out of hats to discuss.

[@hathistorianjc]

That is my fear! I'm Working on always finding new ones to avoid that!

[@helenscoffield]

👍

[@JorgeL721]

I was hoping it would be explained why these caps were worn into war with some napoleonic uniforms, not the tassled one you mentioned. It straight up looks like a sleeping cap

[@hathistorianjc]

The sort of similar-shaped hats worn by military actually have a different history. I talk about them in my video on the side cap.

[@JorgeL721]

@@hathistorianjc can’t wait to see it! That makes sense. I always thought it was strange soldiers would March into war with a sleep cap haha. Big fan of this channel btw

[@Richard-r1x7d]

Hey mate are you ok

[@hathistorianjc]

Come again?