Figure 1.--With the advent of the snapshot we know much more about headwear whuch often was omitted in 19th century studio photography. Here we have a good selection of American childrens headwear in the 1900s. The photograph was taken in a Detroit park, probably during a church or perhaps company picnic. Notice the girls' elaborate hats and the boys' caps. The snapshot is undated, but we would guess was taken about 1905. Click on the image for a full view.

Headwear trends were stronglygendr specilized in the 1900s. Rare exceptions included sailor hats and boaters. Girls mostly wore hats, and this included many highly decorated hats. This was still the heighth of fashion. Caps with few exceptions were only worn by boys. Formality was the standard of the day. We begin to see fancy hats in the 1870s. The 1890s and 1900s seem to be the high-point for fancy girls and ladies hats. With World r I in the 1910s this fashion began to decline markedly. Fashionable ladies would have the fanciest hats, complete with bird plumage. Quite a range of bird species were used for feathers. The demand for plumes was eventually so great that it affected bird populations. Sometimes called 'fancy feathers', some hats even had whole birds. This eventually led to early protectionist efforts. Girls also sported impressibe chapeaus. Usually not expensive plumage, but just about everything else under the sun. These of course were worn for church and special occasions. There were less spectacular headwear for school and everyday wear. Hair bows were becoming another popular style. Boys with a few exceptions mostly wore caps. Some younger boy had sailor hats and some boys wore boaters, but for the most part boys wore caps. There were quite a vriety of styles. Here military styles seem popular. Here social class was an important factor. Boys were more likely to have just one cap for all occasions. This depended to a degree on income levels.

Created: 7:03 PM 12/31/2016
Last updated: 7:03 PM 12/31/2016