* United States boys clothes: headwear chronology








United States Boys' Headwear: Chronology


Figure 1.--This tin-type shows a father and his four boys. Note the different styles of hats. The tin-type is not dated, but we would guess was taken in the late 1890s. I'm not sure who would have tajen a tin-type like this in the park. Presumably it was a commercial photographer who took portraits in the park.

We have found American boys wearing a range of headwear over time. American boys in the 18th century wore three-corner hats just like their dads. Boys on the frontier may have worn coon-skin caps like Davy Crockett, but this was not a specialized boy's style. The first specialized children's hat was probably the wide-brimmed sailor hat made popular in England and worn by American boys through the early 20th century. We note a number of fashionable headwear styles in the 19th century. A good example are the Glengary and sailor caps shown in a 1878 fashion magazine. Tams were popular for a while, but became seen as more of a girl's garments as did berets which for a while were worn by younger boys. The flat cap which appeard at the turn of the century became a universally popular style for boys after World War I (1914-18) in the 1920s. There were specialized winter styles with ear flaps and fur. Stocking caps became popular winter caps. The principal development after World War II (1939-45) was the declining popularity of caps and hats of all kinds. American boys who once never left home without a cap, now commonly did so. The emergence of the baseball cap, complete with the athletic team logo of choice, in the 1970s as the head covering of choice for the American boy was a fashion statement which has now spread around the world.

The 18th Century

We have very limited informstion on headwear worn during thre 18th century. American boys in the 18th century wore three-corner hats just like their dads. Boys on the frontier may have worn coon-skin caps like Davy Crockett, but this was not a specialized boy's style.

The 19th Century

We are not sure what style of hats boys wore in the early 19th century. Boys wore three-corner hats in the 18th century, but we are not sure what style of hat replaced them. We see men wearing top hats, but very few imahes if boys wearing them. We note boys in the early 19th century wearing peaked caps, sometimes with tassles, but we are less sure anout hat styles. . This was a military style from the Napoleonic Wars. Our information on the early 19yth century is very limited, orimarily becaue photography was not yet developed. The first specialized children's hat was probably the wide-brimmed sailor hat made popular in England and worn by American boys through the early 20th century. We note a lot of boys beginning in the mid-19th century wearing hats with shallow rounded crowns. We note a number of fashionable headwear styles in the 19th century. A good example are the Glengary and sailor caps shown in a 1878 fashion magazine. Tams were popular for a while, but became seen as more of a girl's garments as did berets which for a while were worn by younger boys.

The 20th Century

We note a variety of headwear styles in the 20th century. Sailor styles were popular in the early 20th century. There were both sailor hats and caps. Some boys wore peaked caps like British school caps. The flat cap which appeard at the turn of the century became a universally popular style for boys after World War I (1914-18) in the 1920s. While there were several different styles, none were more popular than the flat cap. There were specialized winter styles with ear flaps and fur. Stocking caps became popular winter caps. Younger boys might wear berets. After Lindberg flight across the Atlantic, aviator-style caos called hemets became popular. An enduring winter style was the stocking cap. The principal development after World War II (1939-45) was the declining popularity of caps and hats of all kinds. We note some boms wearing adult-style fedoras. American boys who once never left home without a cap, now commonly did so. The emergence of the baseball cap, complete with the athletic team logo of choice, in the 1970s as the head covering of choice for the American boy was a fashion statement which has now spread around the world. This was a casual style. Boys when dressing up no longer wore caps.

The 21st Century

We rarely see boys wearing headwear with a few exceptions. The only headwear we note is are for casual occassions or weather-relted conditions. Boys do commonly wear baseball caps. We also notice wearing warmweather headwear in the winter, especially stocking caps. Younger boys might wear rain gear. We do not see boys wearing headwear of any kind when dressing up.






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Created: 6:18 PM 1/20/2007
Last updated: 7:11 AM 3/15/2011