Figure 1.--We are nor sure what the group here is, we thought at a beach resort. It does show how common headwear still was and the barious styles worn. The photograph is not dated, but looks to us like it was taken in the late-1920s. The school-age boys all wear school caps. Notice the soft hat the youngest boy in the knit outfit wears. We are not sure what to call his hat. The number here is the identifying code of the street photographer who took the photograph. Put your cursor on the image to see the rest of the group. For some reason I can't get the mouse over feature to work. But you can see the rest of the group by clicking here. A British reader provides a better assesment. He tells us us, "It looks like a group of holiday makers arriving at a holiday camp. [Provanly located akong the coast.] Their is a boy carrying a suit case. The second clue is that chairs have been set up for group photographs. The number on the picture as how a photograph can be ordered from the camp's pictorial display board." Note that in the 1920s that they would have been arriving by train, not cars.

Head wear was still standard during the 1920s. Adults and children still commonly wore head wear when leaving home. English boys almost usually wore caps rather than hats. Hats were rare for boys by the 1920s. And we do not see much diversity. The peaked school cap was ubiquitous after World War I (1920s). There were different colors and patterns (segments and circles), but the basic design was the same. A bright green caps with yellow braid was chosen for Wolf Cubs. The school cap was not only worn to school, but it was the principal cap boys wore where ever they went. It was worn after school for play or outings with parents to shops or church. School caps were also worn for recreational outings to parks or for vacations. Interestingly while boys had virtually this one type of head wear, girls had quite a range of different styles. The peaked cap became a kind of iconic symbol of British boys. They were done in many different colors at private schools, but less so at state schools which did not have uniforms. We see some flat caps. Older boys might wear various styles of flat caps, but they were more common for adult men. Women wore various forms of the ubiquitous cloche hats, an iconic symbol of the 20s. They were more common with adult women, but we see some girls wearing them. Men wore both hats and caps. The choice was largely a social class matter. Upper and middle-class men wore hats, both bowlers and hombergs. Straw boaters might be worn during the summer. Working-class men commonly wore flat caps. This holiday camp group photo gives is a great view of head wear worn by children and adults (figure 1). Just about everyone is wearing some kind of head wear. And that the boys are wearing their school caps even when on summer vacation. Also note the chilly weather even during the summer.

Prevalence

Head wear was still standard during the 1920s. Adults and children still commonly wore head wear when leaving home. We see this in the photographic record. The example here at the beach is a good example (figure 1).

Types

English boys almost usually wore caps rather than hats. Hats were rare for boys by the 1920s. We see some boys in private schools wearing boaters, but that was a small number of boys. We mostly see caps, but we do not see much diversity. The peaked school cap was common in the 1910s, but became baically ubiquitous after World War I (1920s). We see them everywhere in the photographic record. And while called school caps, their wear was definitely not restricted to just school. There were different colors and patterns (segments and circles), but the basic design was the same. A bright green caps with yellow braid was chosen for Wolf Cubs. The school cap was not only worn to school, but it was the principal cap boys wore where ever they went. It was worn after school for play or outings with parents to shops or church. School caps were also worn for recreational outings to parks or for vacations. They were done in many different colors at private schools, but less so at state schools which did not have uniforms. We see some flat caps. Older boys might wear various styles of flat caps, but they were more common for adult men,mostly working-class men..

Gender

Interestingly while boys had virtually this one type of head wear, girls had quite a range of different styles. The peaked cap became a kind of iconic symbol of British boys. Women wore various forms of the ubiquitous cloche hats, an iconic symbol of the 20s. They were more common with adult women, but we see some girls wearing them. Men wore both hats and caps.

Social Class

Most school age boy wore the peaked school cap. This was the case across the social class strata, including boys attending public school and those atttending private schools. The choice of of other head wear was largely a social class matter. Upper and middle-class men wore hats, both bowlers and hombergs. Straw boaters might be worn during the summer. Working-class men commonly wore flat caps.

Age

This holiday camp group photo gives is a great view of head wear worn by children and adults (figure 1). Just about everyone is wearing some kind of head wear.

Seasonality

Note the chilly weather even during the summer. Here we see boys wearing their school caps even when on summer vacation. For geogaphic reasom=ns, the climate in Britain is milder than in countries at thevsame or even lower lattitudes. Thus we do not see English or even Scottish boys wearing cold weather bheadear like we see in the northrn areas of the United States or continental Europe.

Created: 4:22 AM 6/1/2020
Last updated: 9:01 PM 10/24/2024