American Boys Peaked Military Caps: The Kepi


Figure 1.--Here we have two brothers wearing identical outfits. The boys wear velvet cut-away jackets and shirts with small ruffled collars. Both have kepis. This was not very common, even in the Ciil War period. We think they are Southern boys because the are grey caps. The CDV portrait did not have the photographer's studio information.

Americans will recognize the kepi as the Civil War cap. We do not see these caps being worn in America until the Civil War. It was adopted by both the Federal and Condederate Armies from European militaries. It was a particularly important French style. The kepi was won by boys during and after the Civil war era, but it was never really a major style. I think it was popular with boys, but we do not see a lot of portris with boys wearing them. I don't think it was considered a proper dress up style. We see a few portrits, but given the enormous scale of the War, one who have thought they would have been much more widespread. We see more boys wearing the Napoleonic/Mexican war caps than the kepis. We are not entirely sure why it was not more popular. The Civil war was the most traumatic event in American history. More Americans died in the Civil war than World War II, and the population of America was much smaller at the time. Given the importance of the Civil War and the fct that the kepi was the most important uniform cap style, you would have thought that virtually every boy would have have worn one. Perhaps every boy wanted one, but relatively few boys in the photigraphic record appear to have worn one. I'm not sure just why, because of the terrible loss of like during the war. We see boys wearing kepis through the 1890s, but were rarely seen after the 20th century, except at Civil War events.

Origins

The kepi originated in France. It was was a particularly important French military style. Here readers should understand that the modern military image of Germany at the time of the American Civil War did not yet exist. In large measure because of Napoleon I, it was the French that were considered the great military power. Germany did not yet exist as a united nation. Just as the British Royal Navy influenced naval uniforms, the French influenced army uniforms. The Zouave uniform was another influential French military style,

Civil War

The American Civil War has been called the first modern war because of the number of men involved, the sweeping movements, the use of trains and telegraphs, and the increasing sophistication of the weaponery including rifled artillery, repeating weapons and iron-clad ships. The Civil War was the defining epoch of the American nation. It has been extensively studied in American history, but except for military scholars little noted outside the United States. The Civil War, however, had profound consequences for world history that were not immediately apparent in 1865. The losses and disruption of the war was staggering. More Americans died in the Civil War than in any other war America has fought--including World War II. This was in part because military tactics had not yet adjusted to the increasing leathality of weaponry. The South was devestated and the economic and social impacts were felt well into the 20th century. The industrial expansion of the north, however, was strongly promoted by the War. We do not know, however, of a major fashion change associated with the war. Military styled outfits such as Zouave outfits were popular, but lasting impacts on boys' fashions seem hard to detect. The Civil War does appear to be the watershead between the first and second half of the centuries. In a general way it also divides the period when long pants were common to the later era when kneepants dominated.

Popularity

The kepi was won by boys during and after the Civil war era, but it was never really a major style. I think it was popular with boys, but we do not see a lot of portris with boys wearing them. I don't think it was considered a proper dress up style. We see a few portrits, but given the enormous scale of the War, one who have thought they would have been much more widespread. We see more boys wearing the Napoleonic/Mexican war caps than the kepis. We are not entirely sure why it was not more popular. The Civil war was the most traumatic event in American history. More Americans died in the Civil war than World War II, and the population of America was much smaller at the time. Given the importance of the Civil War and the fct that the kepi was the most important uniform cap style, you would have thought that virtually every boy would have have worn one. Perhaps every boy wanted one, but relatively few boys in the photographic record appear to have worn one. I'm not sure just why, because of the terrible loss of like during the war. We see surprisingly few bots wearing kepis, at least based on the photographic record which was mostly studio photography. We suspect that this reflects the fact that mothers did not see it as a cap suitable for dressing up. We see it more commonly in the much more limited number of non-studio photographs when boys were allowed to grab whatever cap they wanted.

Styles

The kepis worn by Federal and Confederate troops were essentially the same, only in different colors. And they of course became very popular with boys. Grey or beechnut for the Confederates and blue for the Federals. We do occassionlly see one major stylistic variation. Some kepis were done with much higher bodies than the standard kepi. There were other minor differences, but this was the principal difference we hsve noted. This left the flat top at a greater angle than the sandard kepi. These elongated kepis were not commonly worn by boys, but we have seen a few examples. The elongated kepis seem most common for uniforms in the first year of the Civil War. We are less sure about the 1850s before the War. These elongated caps were much less common as the war progressed. Presumably boys' fashions followed suit.

Chronology

Americans will recognize the kepi as the Civil War cap. We do not see these caps being worn in America until the Civil War era. We see some just before the War in the 1850s. The kepi was adopted by borh the Federal and Condederate Armies from European militaries. We see boys wearing kepis during and after the Civil War. They appear to be most common in the 1860s and 70s, at least in the photographic record whichwas primarily studio photography. This probably gives a somewhat skewed indication of the chronological trends. Boys in studio portraits tended to wear whst mom chose. On their own when noy dressing up, we believe that the kepi was somewhat more popular. We see boys occassionaly wearing kepis throughout the late-19th century, but surprisngly few. Military schools used the kepi, but it does not appear to have been a particularly important style for most boys. We continue to see boys wearing kepis through the 1890s. A good example is Grant Lovecoy about 1880. Another exmple is the Smith boys about 1895. Anotherexample is an unidentified Philadelphia boy in the 1890s. Some appeared to have been worn to school, although we have few details here. We rarely see kepis after the 20th century, except at Civil War events.






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Created: 1:55 AM 4/24/2008
Last updated: 6:02 PM 4/7/2016