EXPERIENCE is the guide of every thing; we have seen that the lower orders seldom vary in their dress from generation to generation. When they have once found out the best defence against the effects of the climate, in which they are born, they keep to it, only ornamenting or varying those parts, which are not of importance against the weather.
Amongst the Alps, the peasant protects himself against the cold; in the marshes against the damp; and on the plain against the heat. The hats of the women of Mount Cenis are almost mattressed round, and their broad brims form a constant umbrella.
Source: “Sketches Illustrative of the Manners and Costumes of France, Switzerland and Italy.” Illustrations by Richard Bridgens. Text by J.W. Polidori London. Baldwin, Cradock & Joy. 1821.
