Featured in this lot is this South African Zulu married woman hat, circa mid 1900's. This hat shows vibrant cloth with interwoven red wool twine and a braided wool cord intertwined into one side. Zulu is a nation of Nguni-speaking people in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. The form of the isicholo, or married woman's hat, developed out of a 19th-century conical hairstyle that was worn as a sign of respect to one's husband and his family, in addition to serving as a public symbol of married status. In the early 20th century, a removable hat like this one replaced the hairstyle. The condition of this married woman's hat is good, with no obvious signs of damage. The measurements of this hat are 4" x 10 3/4" x 10 3/4".