Figure 1.--We are not sure what type of portrait this is. We suspect it may be a tin type. The boy is wearing a peaked military cap. The case it is in suggests to us that it is a fairly early portrait. Cases like this began going out of style in the 1860s when CDVs and cabinent cards. Thus we believe that this portrait was taken in the 1850s. We are not sure when they first appeared, we suspect about the 1830s. Nor are we sure bout the proper name for this cap. We continue to see this style into the 1890s and very-early 20th century.

Boys wore a range of military-styled caps. By this we mean an army style cap. Sailor caps were a military style as well, but we treat them separately in the sailor cap section. Unfortunately we do not yet know the proper name for the various cap styles. The first militarty style we note is a rather modern looking peaked cap that was worn by Mexican War soldiers. This seems to have been a style Americans boys began wearing in the 1820s, although it appeared earlier in Europe. We note an 1829 American drawing sghowing a boy at the White House. He wears one of these caps with a tassle and a short jacket. These caps might be worn by school boys with tunics as well as other garments. After photography is developed, we see them in the photographic record. A good example is 10-year old Edward Edwards in the mid-1840s. We see some military style caps in America during the 1850s, probably influenced by the Mexican War. A good example is an unidentified boy, wearing a tunic outfit. The kepi was won by boys during and after the Civil war era, but it was never a really popular style. I'm not sure just why, because of the terrible loss of like during the war. We noted occassional portraits in the late-19th century of boys wearing caps similar to the caps worn in the mid-19th century. A good example is Joe Meyers, we think in the 1890s. We see other peaked cap styles in the late 19th century, but again they never proved to be a particularly popular style. They were often worn with military costumes boys wore. They were never worn as commonly as sailor styles.

Popularity

Boys mostly in the 19th century wore a variety of army style cap. Sailor caps were a military style as well, but we treat them separately in the sailor cap section. The army cap styles were not as popular as the sailor styles. We are not entirely sure why this was. They seemed to have been most popular in the mid-19th century until the Civil War.

Styles

Boys wore a range of military-styled caps. They were popular styles and we see them in many period portraits. Unfortunately we do not yet know the proper name for the various cap styles.

Napoleonic/Mexican War caps

The first militarty style we note is a rather modern looking peaked cap that was worn by Mexican War soldiers. This seems to have been a style Americans boys began wearing in the 1820s, although it appeared earlier in Europe. We note an 1829 American drawing sghowing a boy at the White House. He wears one of these caps with a tassle and a short jacket. These caps might be worn by school boys with tunics as well as other garments. After photography is developed, we see them in the photographic record. A good example is 10-year old Edward Edwards in the mid-1840s. We see some military style caps in America during the 1850s, probably influenced by the Mexican War. We note an unidentified boy in the 1860s wearing one of these caps. They became less common in the late-19th century, but we still notice a few examples.

Kepi

Americans will recognize the kepi as the Civil War cap. It was adopted by borh 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. pre 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 mot important uniform cap style, you would have thought that virtually every boy would have have worn one. Perhaps every boy wantedone, 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.

Unknown military cap style

We note a cap that looks rather like a band cap. We have no idea what this cap tyle was called, or even if it had a a specific name in the 19th century. It is clearly a military style, but more a fanciful style than a style actually worn by the U.S, army. We are not at all sure how to describe it. The sides of the cap seem rather stiff and cylindrical, but did not rise very high. We see them done in various materials. A good example is an unidentified boy, wearing a tunic outfit. It was not a particularly common style. We do occassionaly see it and see it enough that ot certainly was not a rare style. So far the images we have found come from the 1850s-60s.

Later style

We noted occassional portraits in the late-19th century and even the early-20th century of boys wearing caps similar to the caps worn in the mid-19th century. We see other peaked cap styles in the late 19th century, but again they never proved to be a particularly popular style. A good example is the cap Peet Marris is wearing with his sailor suit about 1925-30> This is about the last time we have noted these cap. We night call them Oliver Twist caps. Although they do not seem to have been worn with the Oliver Twist caps of the 1920s.

European student caps

We notice a few portraits of American boys wearing what look like European student caps. Boys in Germany, Scandanavia, and other countries did not normally wear school uniforms. They did wear military-styled peaked caps. The caps often had detinctive styles and colored trim identifying the school and class. We do not commonly see these caps in America, in part because they were commonly worn at secondary schools. And the families that sent children to secondary schools were the more established families less likely to emigrate to America. One destinguishing element of these caps was a leather brim or bill. We see leather bills earlier, but not by the late-19th century. American caps were almost always made with cloth brims. Thus we do not see very commonly with American boys caps by the late-19th century. We suspect that boys wearing them came from relastively recent immigrant families.

Small peak

We note some of these military-styled caps with relatively small peaks. Depending on the angle of the photograph it might even look like there is no peak at all. This is is especially the case when the cap and peak is done all in one color like black or white. They were styled rather like German student caps. We note them bring worn in the United States with sailor suits. American boys often wore sailor hats and . caps with sailor styles, but non sailor styles were also worn. And these caps were one such style. We also see boys wearing these caps with Fauntleroy blouses and other period styles at the turn-of-the 20th century

Flat style

We note a cap that was a kind of cross beteen a military peaked cap and a flat cap. We have no idea what the proper name for this style is. We haven't noticed many examples of this style. A good example is Joe Meyers, we think in the 1890s.

Military uniforms

Military caps were obviously worn at military schools. The kepi was very common during and after te Civil War. In the late 19th century otherstyles wee introduced. Beginning at this time, military schools generally followed U.S. Army uniform styles. They were often worn with military costumes boys wore. They were never worn as commonly as sailor styles.

Created: 5:16 AM 12/1/2006
Last updated: 7:18 AM 5/24/2017