Cornette

In 1850, the American headquarters for the Daughters of Charity was in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and they provided services primarily in those states east of the Mississippi River. They taught children, cared for orphans, and nursed the sick. Then California became the 31st state in the Union and the population in the San Francisco area grew rapidly just after the discovery of gold in 1848. Many new problems followed this population increase. In 1852, the Archbishop of San Francisco appealed to the leadership in Emmitsburg requesting Sisters to care for the orphans of the cholera epidemic. The leadership responded and seven Sisters began the long, perilous journey from the east coast to California to begin an orphanage and school in San Francisco. The early Daughters of Charity wore the simple peasant dress of the day, their headpiece evolved into the winged “cornette.” As the times changed, the habit was modified and today is simply a blue dress or skirt and blouse, worn with or without the coiffe (veil). The cornette was a white starched headpiece worn from 1685 until 1964, and considered the most recognizable mark of a Daughter of Charity. In its origin, it reflected the peasant dress of 17th-century France. Over time and with added starch, the cornette went from being more of a veiled piece of fabric to what was often referred to as “wings.” The cornette has been the focus of many artists over time. As the reality of the sisters’ lives changed, so did the habit — they began driving more regularly, they were working as surgical nurses, and there was a desire to simplify the overall style.