Woman’s scarlet wool hooded cloak trimmed with shag-face textile, ca. 1775-90. Worn by Mary Hall Silliman (1757-1855) of North Fairfield (now Easton), great-great grandmother of the donor. Red cloaks, also known as "cardinals", were fashionable for both men and women in the 18th century. Because scarlet was an expensive dye color, a red cloak would have been a treasured garment.Cloaks very similar to this one are in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution, Colonial Williamsburg and the Connecticut Historical Society.