From 1888 to at least the 1920s, Methodist deaconesses in the United States served as nurses and teachers and in social service, clothed in a uniform garb, including a simple black bonnet with white ties. Deaconesses envisioned a head covering that was economical yet respectable, not fashionable yet not unfashionable, Protestant yet echoing the recognizable Catholic habit. In tying the white strings of their bonnet under their chins, Methodist deaconesses sought to wear their message of Christian service.