Sailor Cap Styles: Flat Topped (British and American)

Figure 1.--This American boy wears a flat-top sailor cap with his sailor suit along with a decidedly non-regulation plaid bow. He looks to be about 5 years old. The image is undated, but the bow suggests the 1890. HBC is unsure if the younger child is his brother or sister. The studio was located in Naugatuk, Connecticut. Click on the image for more details about their outfits.

British and American boys wore a kind of flat-topped sailor hat. This might be called a sacuer style. The top extended out slightly over the top of the cap. This style was being worn by the American Navy in the Civil war (1861-65) and continued being worn into World War I (1914-18). Boys were wearing this style cap by the 1870s, perhaps earlier. They continuing wearing it into the 1910s, but I have not noted it being worn into the 1920s. These caps were mostly black or blue. White flat-topped caps were much less common. I'm not sure why. It was wprn by boys with short haircuts as well as long ringlet curls. It was most commonly worn of course by boys wearing sailor suits. Unlike the wide-brimmed sailor hat, this sailor cap appears to have only been worn by boys. These caps were normally worn by boys up to about 10 years of age, but this differed somewhat by country and chronologically. We do note older boys wearing them. An example is the St. Clar boys.

Countries

British and American boys wore a kind of flat-topped sailor hat. Most of our images are American, but that probably reflects our greater access to American images than any relative popularity. They may have been worn in other countries as well, but these are the countries for which we hsave found images. They were of course based on the official navy caps worn by British and American sailors in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Terminology

This might be called a saucuer style. I am not entirely sure what they were callded at the time.

Construction

The top extended out slightly over the sides of the cap. There was room for a tally with the name of a ship or other lettering.

Popularity

I am not entirely sure how popular this style of cap was. We see quite a number in the photographic record. Presumably the popularity was based on the fact that it was the actual uniform cap worn by sailors. They do not seem, however, to have been the most popular style of sailor headwear. This may have been because it was not a particularly practical style.

Chronology

This style was being worn by the American Navy in the Civil war (1861-65) and continued being worn into World War I (1914-18). Boys were wearing this style cap by the 1870s, perhaps earlier. They continued wearing it into the 1910s, but I have not noted it being worn into the 1920s.

Colors

These caps were mostly black or blue. White flat-topped caps were much less common. I'm not sure why.

Gender

Unlike the wide-brimmed sailor hat, this sailor cap appears to have only been worn by boys.

Age

These caps were normally worn by boys up to about 10 years of age, but this differed somewhaytby country and chronologically. We do note older boys wearing them. An example is the St. Clar boys.

Hair Cuts

It was worn by boys with short haircuts as well as long ringlet curls.

Clothing

It was most commonly worn of course by boys wearing sailor suits. We also see boys wearing these csaps, however, with a vaiety of other outfits as well.

Created: December 21, 2001
Last updated: 1:12 AM 4/27/2007