Figure 1.--This photocard-back photograph shows a young English family, we think in the 1900s, perhaps the early-10s. Both boys who look to be about 2-5 years old wear broad-brimmed sailor hats. We do not notice them wearing chin straops even for a outdoors outing to wht looks like some sort of a zoo. An HBC reader tells us, however, "I believe I see a chin strap on the left side of the boy. Hard to be certain but with the angle of the hat and their size I am almost sure that they must be wearing chin straps to keep the hats on." The younger boy wears what looks like a tunic. His older brither ears a Fauntleroy blouse and knee pants. These hats have a kind of upper-class look on us today. We would guess, however, that this was a working-class family, in part because of the man's cap. This looks to us like a photograph taken by one of the many street photographers who set up shop in one of the popular places for family outings. At the time, family amateur photography was just beginning to appear.

The broad-brimmed hat is basically a type of sailor hat. No hat style could be more inappropriate for sailors or for young children, especially boys. We are entirely sure how active boys kept them on, especially if there was a breeze. Most came with chin straps, but they were not always used. The boys here do not seem to be using their chin straps. Most but not all available images show pre-school boys wearing broad-brimmed hats as we see here (figure 1). We list it separately becase it was so destinctive and often refrrered to just as a broad-brimmed hat and not a sailor hat. This was a style for younger childre, both boys and girls at a time where children as well as men and women commonly wore hats. This particular style, the broad-brimmed hat, was worn by younger boys, but an even wider age range of girls. The small boys generally wearing them often seem dwarfed by the the very large hats. We see them primarily in the late-19th and early-20th century. They are most associated with sailor suits, but were also worn with other outfits like Fauntleroy and other juvenile suits. This makes them a little complicated as they were also associated with these styles. And we have archived images of these hats in those sections. Another complication is that they basically a type of straw hats. The hats had streamers, but this is not observeable as the children wearing them were generally photographed from the front as is the case here.

Terminology

These hats are usully referred to as broad- or wide-brimmed hats. We also see them being called sailor hats. They were a type of sailor hat. They were also straw hats. They are a type of rounded-crown hat. Most, but not all had rounded crowns. We list it separately becase it was so destinctive.

Sailor Origins

The broad-brimmed hat is basically a type of sailor hat. And we see the hsts very commonly being worn with sailior suits. This shows that mothers saw the hats as a sailor style. We notice the Royal Navy experimenting with uniforms for ratings (enlisted men) in the mid-19th century. Officers had uniforms for over a century, but not the ratings. After the Napoleopnic Wars, there were different ideas about headwear. Basically a kind of boater was adoopted. We see this in the famous Winterhalter painting of Prince Berie. Although the Prince had a hat with a broader (wider) brim than Royal Navy ratings ever wore. And as the style became worn by boys and girls the brim only broadened to unrealistic proprtions. Sailor would never have worn such hats. There would have hats blown off and floating all over the seven seas.

Utility

No hat style could be more inappropriate for sailors or for young children, especially active boys. They came with chin straps, but the boys do not seems to be using them in mst of the portraits we have archived.

Types

Broad-brimmed hats varied slightly in several different ways. These differences were minor. There were, however, two major types of these hats with destinctive differences. The two types the crown (rounded and flat) and brims (turned up, flat, and turned down). We are just beginning our assessment of these hats. Our preliminary assessment of these hats is that most were rounded-crown hats in the 19th century, but our archive is not yet sufficint to make any definitive asessment. We some flat crown hats after the turn if the 20th centurty. The other type of hat was associated with the brim. The dominant type was the upturned brims, like the hats the boys here are wearing. For the most part, the brims were only slighly upturned. We note flat brims after the-turn-of the 20th century. Down-turned brims were more common, but almost entirely found in the 1910s. After this, these hats quickly went out of styles in the 1920s.

Material

Another characteristic to consider with wide-brimmed hats is the material used for wide-brimmed hats. Most were straw hats. Almost all of the American broad brimmed hats were sreaw hats. This seens to be the case in other countries as well. And the vast majority of the English hats were broad-brimmed hats Nor all, but certainly most. Straw is the ideal if not the only material suitable for wide brimmed hats. Any other material did not maintain its stiffness very well over time--especially for hats with such broad brimmms. These broad brimmed hats had wider brimns even then the famous Stetsons, at leastvrelatively as the boys weatingbthem were sommuch smaller than briad shoulder Texans. And notice how Stetsons over time lost their shape. We see a few English hats which did not seem to be done in straw. This is a little difficult to assess from a photograph. But we note a few images that do not kook like they were done in straw, although it is a little difficult to make out just what material was used.

Features

The broad-brimmed hats had two special features: chin straps and streamers. Unfortunately they do not show up in most photographs. Most came with chin straps, but they were not always used. The photograph here is a good example (figure 1). The boys do not seem to be using their chin straps. We believe tht most wuide-brimmed hats came with chin straps, we think elasticized chin straps, but this needs to be confirmed. If not worn they simply folded under the headband of the hat. Most of the prtraits we have found look to us like the chin straps were not being used. We are not sure why. It seems to us that they would be needed when worn outside, but we simply do not see many being worn. Perhaps the boys did not like the feel of a chin strap. Perhaps the wind was not strong elough to blow the hats away. We are entirely sure how active boys kept them on, especially if there was a breeze. The other feature were streamers. Here the frontal pose of most photographs meand we can't see the streamers which were mostly worn at the back. Also when the fronts are worn cocked up like the boys here are wearing them, the back is completely hidden.

Gender

Ages

Most but not all available images show pre-school boys wearing broad-brimmed hats as we see here (figure 1). This was a style for younger children, both boys and girls at a time where children as well as men and women commonly wore hats. The majority of imsges we have found are of pre-school boys, meaning boys to about 6 years of age. Generally children began school at age 6 years, but not all did. Because school begins in Septembr, some boys did not begin school until a year later. We do see school-age boys with these hats, but not nearly as many in the photgraophic record. And we think that the photographic record is a reasonable relection of populsrity, especially by the 20th century and the rise of the family snapshot. Perhaps not as accurate as in America, but still a very strong indicator. Social class may be a factor here. We suspect that most of the older boys wearing these hats were boys from the more affluent families. This particular style, the broad-brimmed hat, was worn by younger boys, but an even wider age range of girls. The small boys generally wearing them often seem dwarfed by the the very large hats. For girls it was a little different. Much older girls wore these broad brimmed hats ghan was the case for boys.

Chronology

We see these broad-brimmed hats primarily in the late-19th and early-20th century. We see early wissiuons with modest brims (1850s-60s) and the really broad brims (1870s-1910s). The 1910s hats aee eay the detect because they were often turned up or dowm.

Accomopanying Clothing

These wide brimmed hats were sometimes cvakled sailor hats. And they were odtn wirn with saikirvsuits by younger boys. We also see them being wirn with Fauntleroys suits or just the Auntkeroy blouse in the case if the older boy here. They were also wiorn with othrr outfits such as yhje kiltb suit. Another outfit was the yunic suit as is the case of the younger boy here (figure 1). Pairing a ide0brimmed hat and tunic suit in America was called a Bustrr Brown suit.

Usage

broad-brimmed hats are most associated with sailor suits, but were also worn with other outfits like Fauntleroy and other juvenile suits. This makes them a little complicated as they were also associated with these styles. And we have archived images of these hats in those sections.

Created: 9:58 PM 8/6/2018
Last updated: 11:28 PM 6/7/2023