Figure 1.--This is the earliest photographic image I have of the peaked cap. The boy here is wearing it with fishing gear. As he is also wearing a blazer, it is probably his school cap. The photograph was taken in England during the 1850s. |
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A popular boys' cap style was the peaked cap for about a century. It was especially popular in Britain and British colonies where it became the basis for the school cap. It was also widely worn in America and other countries. The basic peaked cap has a rounded crown with a bill or peak entending in the front. It is a cap rather than a hat, of course, because the bill is not a bream that extends all around the crown. Peaked caps were made with various alternations to the peak and crown, but most remained remarkably similar over the decades that they were worn. HBC at this time is only beginning to piece together the origins of the British peaked school cap. For a garment of this importance, the available historical information is remarakably limited. HBC can at this time only speculate as to the origins of the peaked cap. As is often the case with boys clothes, there may be military origins. During the Napoleonic wars dashing calvarymen and grenadiers as well as other units from several countries were often uniformed in a military style peaked cap. This is the first time I have noted this style so widely used. The crown of course was not rounded, but there was a definite peak or bill. Boys in the early 19th century wore a military-style peaked cap. This may well have been the inspiration for the peaked cap as we know it today.
The basic peaked cap has a rounded crown with a bill or peak entending in the front. It is a cap rather than a hat, of course, because the bill is not a bream that extends all around the crown. Peaked caps were made with various alternations to the peak and crown, but most remained remarkably similar over the decades that they were worn.
HBC at this time is only beginning to piece together the origins of the British peaked school cap. For a garment of this importance, the available historical information is remarakably limited.
HBC can at this time only speculate as to the origins of the peaked cap. As is often the case with boys clothes, there may be military origins. During the Napoleonic wars dashing calvarymen and grenadiers as well as other units from several countries were often uniformed in a military style peaked cap. This is the first time I have noted this style so widely used. The crown of course was not rounded, but there was a definite peak or bill. Boys in the early 19th century wore a military-style peaked cap. This may well have been the inspiration for the peaked cap as we know it today. Peaked caps first appeared in England at cricket matches during the mid-19th century. I assume they were first introduced at public schools, but can not confirm this. Neither do I know at which schools or precisely when. I have seen photographs of peaked cap being worn for sport as early as the 1860s, but this practice probably began even earlier. They were soon adopted for schoolboy uniforms. Presumably this was at the time a popular inovation as the boys saw cricket as a major passtime and no doubt looked up to the team members wearing them. British school boys by the 1870s were commonly waering caps. The style was quickly adopted in the colonies and to a lesser extent America. It was also seen on the Continent.
The original peaked caps were soon adopted for school wear and latter for cubs. The peaked cap was probably the inspiration for the modern baseball cap. The association between cricket and baseball is extensive. Certainly the inspiration for Doubeday's baseball is cricket and rounders (another cricket offshoot). In fact, early baseball caps were peaked caps.
HBC does not have precise chronological information, but can sketch out an approximate chromology by an examination of available photographic images. The development of photography, in fact appears to have coincided with that of the peaked cap. We note peaked caps first in Britain during the 1850s. From the beginning they were a chool style in Britain. We begin to see American boys wearing them at the turn of the 20th century. Gradually in America they lost popularity to flat caps. They countibued gto be worn for school in Britain. They were also used for the Cub uniform in Britain. This style was copied in many other national Scout movemets as other ountries added Cub programs. We also see them in European countries, but seem to be less assocoated with school. Popularity varied from country to country. They seem to have been especially popular in the Netherlands. While flat caps became the main boys style in America, by the 1930s we do still see boys wearing peaked caps. They seem to have been a styled favored by well-to-do families, perhaps beause of the association with Britain. They were sometines worn with matcing suits. They became lass common by the 1970s. n Britain they vecame after World War II an exclussively school style, but begn to decline in the 1960s, even at schools.
The basic peak cap has not varied greatly in style. The size of the peak varied somewhat as did the domensions of the crown. Some came with buttons on the top. While the school cap could have been different colors and designs worked into the basic cap, varied ony marginallyle. We see peakjed caps with very small peaks (bills) at the turn of the 20yh century. Good examples are the caps worn by George and Ewan McTherson (1902). We note some American boys wearing peaked caps with a much fuller crown, a kind of dress peaked cap. This style was not schoolwear and persisted through the 1920s, but was not nearly as common as the standard school cap.
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The material depended on the type of cap, country, and chronological period. The original peaked caps as the first peaked school caps and British cub caps were made of flannel. When Cubs came to America I do not think the material was flannel. At least in the 1950s my cub cap was made of the same material as the shirt which I think was cotton. The original baseball caps were flmannel and this continued into the 1950s. Modern baseball caps are poluester. The dressy peaked caps worn by American boys were often flannel, but matched the material and color of the suit they were worn with.
The ordinary peaked cap was normally one solid color, usually a sober blue or grey. Black was popular in Aerica. Cub peaked caps were often a solid color with yellow piping. Many countries adopted the geen British cub cap with yellow piping.
The peaked cap was perhaps the most flexible style ever developed. It is also done in more colors than any other cap. This varies as to the specific type of peaked cap. It was widely associated with boys' wear in Britain. Iy was most directly associated with school wear. It fr appeared at school, but at first was sportswear. It gradually became primarily associated as part of a school uniform or at least for schoolwear. It was also worn to school in America, but not as strongly associated with choolwear as in Britain. School caps was just one orm of peaked caps. There were many different types of peaked caps. While the design varied little, the color and design worked into the cap could vary substantially, depending on the country and type of cap. The peaked cap is, however, far more than just a school cap. It is presumably the inspirtation for the merican baseball cap znd is worn for cricket. And not only did it have a school abd sports side, byt if America it eventually became seen as a dress cap. Ir twas one of several styles at the beginning of the 20th century. It lost ojut to the fkat cap as the major voys caps, but then became asociated with dress wear. The peaked cap also became the iconic style for Cub Scouts arojnd the world.
Convnetions and the popularity of the peaked cap varied greatly from country to country. The peak cap first appeared in Britain and from the beginning was strongly associated with schoolwear. The major exception was Cuubbing. The peaked cp was chosen as the style for the Wolf Cub program. Many other countries subsequently used the peaked cap for their Cub program. We note them in America during the late 19th century. They were not as strongly associated with school wear in America and conventions varied over time. They were also worn in Europe, but the popularity varied widely from country. The association with Britain was probabky a fctor. They appear to have been especially popular in the Netherlands. The peaked cap was also widely worn in British Empire countries.
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