Figure 1.--This wonderful German image in the early 20th century shows a younger boy wearing one of these caps with a sailor suit. The portrait shows some of the different types of headwear worn by German children of different ages and gender. Our HBC reader reports, "The portrait was taken in Osnabrück, Germany. About 1906 seems a good guess given Willi's age. The back of the photograph has the names of the children. One is Willi (Wilhelm) Ernst zu Eikern (sounds a little noble)." Image courtesy of the PB collection. Click on the image for a fuller discussion.

We have noted one style of cap worn by younger boys during the late 19th century. We do not know the proper name for it at this time. In some ways it seems simmilar to a pill-box cap, but designs varied. We have often wearing Fauntleroy suits and Fauntleroy kilts, but we have seen other boys wearing them with other outfits as well--even sailor suits. We note an American boy wearing one during the 1890s with a suit that had some Norfolk styling. It appears some were made out of velvet and matches the boys velvet suit. I'm not sure what colors they came in. We have noted them in different countries, including America, England, and Germany. The wonderful German image here from the early 20th century, probably the 1910s, shows a younger boy wearing one of these caps with a sailor suit (figure 1). It is a similar style to that worn by adults with a smocking jacket, often with a tassle. Strangely, we have seen small boys wearing them and adult men--but rarely youths. Hopefully our HBC readers will help identify the style. Our HBC reader reports, "The portrait was taken in Osnabrück, Germany. About 1910 seems a good guess. The way, the backside of the picture reveals the name of the little boy: Willi (Wilhelm) Ernst zu Eikern (sounds a little noble)." We are not sure aboyt the age conventions, but we note boys about 4-13 years old wearing them.

Terminology

We have noted one style of cap worn by younger boys during the late 19th century. We do not know the proper name for it at this time. Hopefully our HBC readers will help identify the style. Ine reade writes, "It looks like a pill-box hat." HBC does not think so. Notice that the pillbox hat is a hard side hat while the cap here is a soft cap. Also the pillbox hat has no brim. This cap has a brim, although it is curiously worn with the brim up. Some boys did wear pillbox caps and some may have worn fezes, but the cap here seems more like a soft, full brimmed cap. This raises another problem. The fidderence between a cap and hat is that a hat has a full (all around) brim. As this item seems to have been worn with the brim folded up, it has more the appearance of a cap. We think this may be a cap referred to as a "yacht cap". This was the term used by Ward's, but I am unsure if it is the same cap discussed here or how widely accepted the term was.

Description

This cap seems to be the anthesis of the wide-brimmed sailor hat, also worn by boys at the time. This cap seems in some ways it seems simmilar to a pill-box cap, but designs varied. The cap the little German boy here is wearing (figure 1) as well as an American boy in a Fauntleroy suit looks like there is no brim. Actually there was a brim, but it appears to have almost always have been worn with the brim folded up close to the side of the cap. The unidentified American boy holding his cap shows the brim to better affect.

Accompanying Clothing

We have often noted boys wearing this cap with Fauntleroy suits and Fauntleroy kilts, but we have seen other boys wearing them with other outfits as well--even sailor suits. We also note than being worn with standard single-breasted suits. The German boy here wears one with a sailor suit.

Chronology

We note an American boy wearing one during the 1890s with a suit that had some Norfolk styling. We note a range of similar looking hats offered by Reinerth & Co, we think about the turn of the 20th century. They look a bit different than the hat here. We note Stern Brothers in 1890 offering these caps with several of its suits. The time line may have varied from country to country. The German boy here (figure 1) appears to be wearing it about 1910. We no longer note American boys wearing it at this time.

Material

It appears some were made out of velvet and matches the boys velvet suit. More common were the materials used for suiting, but we have limited information here.

Colors

I'm not sure what colors they came in. The boy here wears one which seems to match his sailor suit which was probably blue (figure 1). Boys wearing them with suits presumably had caps close to the color of their suit. I'm not sure they were made to match. We note boys wearing these caps were different shades than their suit. This can be seen in the cap worn by an unidentified American boy in the 1890s. Because of the black and white photography, however, we can not discern the actual color.

Detailing

The cap here is a dark undecoarated solid color (figure 1). Most of the caps we have noted are similar. We have noted other examples in which the cap is more decorative. One portrait shows a boy whose cap is decorated at the base. We are not positive it is the same cap style, but it certainly looks similar to us. We have noted few of these caps decorated like this. This is not a style we normally associate with sailor suits, but we note them being worn with sailor suits as well as other styles. We do not note, however, any with sailor detailing. They may have been made to match the color and material of sailor suits

Countries

We have noted these caps in different countries, including America, England, and Germany. We are most familiar with them in America. They were prominently fearyred in American clothing catalogs. The wonderful German image here from the early 20th century, probably the 1910s, shows a younger boy wearing one of these caps with a sailor suit (figure 1). We note an American boy wearing one of the caps with his suit in the 1900s. We notice in England the Robinson boys and school friends wearing these caps in the 1870s. We also notice a boy at a seaside resort wearing one of these caps, probably in the 1890s. This is not a style we normally associate with the seaside. We notice an unidentified German boy wearing on of the caps about 1900.

Age

We are not sure aboyt the age conventions. We note little boys wearing them beginning about age 4-5 years old, usually after breaching. They seem to have been worn to about age 11-12 years. We have, however, rarely seen teenage youth wearing them. The cap seems to be a similar style to that worn by adults with a smocking jacket, often with a tassle. Actually they were quite different as these caps had a brim, but is often indestinct as it was folded up as is the case of the little German biy here (figure 1).

Portrait

Our HBC reader reports, "The portrait was taken in Osnabrück, Germany. About 1910 seems a good guess. The way, the backside of the picture reveals the name of the little boy: Willi (Wilhelm) Ernst zu Eikern (sounds a little noble)."