Figure 1.-- Here a working-class boy is selling fruit and potatoes at an Indianpolis market in 1908. Note the caps the boys are wearing. One is a flat cap. The other has a higher crown and small peak. Also note the suspenders. He is probably wearing knee pants since he is only about 11 years old. Both boys in the market are wearing caps. This photo illustrates the still common use of child labor in the early-20th century. This was a major problem targeted by the Progressive movement.

We see quite a range of boys' headwear in the 1900s. Boys wore both caps and hats, but by the beginning of the 20th century, caps were definitely the dominant headwear type for boys. Girls mostly wore hats, including many highly decorated hats. We see boys wearing some hats such as boaters. Caps were much more common with boys. The style of caps was, however, varied widely. Sailor styles were popular in the early-20th century. There were both sailor hats and caps in a variety of styles. Younger boys still might wear huge wide-brimmed sailor hats. There were also various styles of sailor caps. Some boys wore peaked caps like British school caps. The crown of some of the caps seem a little fuller than the British style, but we also see caps styled like the British caps. The flat cap which appeard about the turn of the century. It may have been worn in the 1890s, but we see it much more commonly in the 1900s after the turn of the century. It was not yet uniqutous as would be the case by the 1910s. An enduring winter style was the stocking cap. This was a style from the 19th century which continued to be popular in the 20th century. They were a rare style worn by both boys and girls. We see some boys wearing boaters. Even by the end of the decade, the flat cap was still not the dominant style. We can see that in an Iowa school.

Prevalence

Headwear in the 1900s continued to be a very important clothing garment. Wearing headwear was extreneky prevalent fir virtually all occasions. The more formal the occassion, the stronger the social convention to go out with headwear. But wearing headwear was also common for informal occasions and outings. Even for school and casual outinngs both boys and girls commonly wore headwear of some kind. And we can follow this much more closely than in the 19th century. The Kodak Browie and similar cameras that appeared at the turn-of-the century meant that the family snapshot was suddenly an important part of the photographic record, taking photography out of the restrictive confines of the studo. In addition, we begin to find large numbers of images taken outdoors in a diverse range of activities. This provides information on headwear conventions that were difficult to obtain in the 19th century. And in the 1900s decades we see people wearing headwear for all kinds of informal occassions, not only adults but children as well. Well dressed people wore headwear when they left home. And for the first time thanks to Kodak we have all kinds of images to help assess popuolar trends.

Ages

Age was an important factor in the choice of headwear. This was especially true for boys until the teen years. This was less rue for girlsm althiy=ugh girls' hat were commonly not as elaborately decorated as the ones worn by adult women. Winter was a little different. e see girls wearing stocking caps and berets/tams.

Headwear Types

We see quite a range of boys' headwear in the 1900s. Boys wore both caps and hats, but by the beginning of the 20th century, caps were definitely the dominant headwear type for boys. We see boys wearing some hats such as boaters. Caps were much more common with boys. They were not ibiquitous, bt they were much less common than caps. The style of caps was, however, varied widely. Sailor styles were popular in the early-20th century, although mostly boys from from families in confortable circumstances. There were both sailor hats and caps in a variety of styles. Younger boys still might wear huge wide-brimmed sailor hats. There were also various styles of sailor caps. Other styles had fewer social class oeientations. Some boys wore peaked caps like British school caps. The crown of some of the caps seem a little fuller than the British style, but we also see caps styled like the Brirish caps. The flat cap which appeard about the turn of the century. It may have been worn in the 1890s, but we see it much more commonly in the 1900s after the turn of the century. It was not yet uniqutous as would be the case by the 1910s. We see some boys wearing boaters. Even by the end of the decade, the flat cap was still not the dominant style. We can see that in an Iowa school.

Gender

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. 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.

Social Class

Social class significantly affected headwear. This does not mean aring bheadwear. It does mean the type and style of the headwear worn. We note various headwear styles in the 1900s. Peaked caps with rounded crowns and flat caps were especially common. The peaked cap does not seem to have had the social class connotations that would develop beginning in the 1910s. Notice the boy here working in a market wearing a peaked cap rather than a flat cap like his friend (figure 1).

Seasonality

An enduring winter style was the stocking cap. This was a style from the 19th century which continued to be popular in the 20th century. They were a rare style worn by both boys and girls. Boaters were a popular summer syle, but not as strongly seasonal as stocking caps.

Created: 10:58 PM 9/11/2007
Last updated: 1:37 AM 6/7/2020