Figure 1.--This unidentified group. perhaps a family gathering, shows many headwear styles. And it shows how prevalent headwear was in the 19th century. Notice that boaters were popular with the girls and younger ladies while most of the women wear small flowery hats. Three of the men wear bowers/derbies. Most of the boys wear peaked caps. The problem here is that the cabinet card portrait is undated. We believe that the portrait was taken in the 1880s, in part because there is no evidene of Fauntleroy styling and tbe ladies' dresses sem more like 1880s than 90s.styles. We welcome comments for readers who know more about women's fashions which we think is the key to dating this image. There is no studio informtion, but we think it is British, because it was offered by a British dealer.
The peaked cap appeared in the mid-19th century, we believe first at private schools in England. It necame a proinced Enlish style. Private schools for many years had a major impact on boys' styles. The Eton collar, for example, was inintially a school style. We thinj it may havevbeen at first a games cap. Iit soon became a standard private school style. And soon boys at state schools began wearing these caps. The caps appeared at about the same time Britain was beginning to build a state school system. Unlike the boys at private schools, boys at state schools usually did not have large wardrobes. As a result, many boys wore these caps for all occassions, school, casual, play, church, and other dress up occassions. It woild have been the only cap that many boys had. Thev style was so popular we see well-to-do boys eating them even when not at school. By the late late-19th century these caps were becoming unbiquitos for school age children. The peaked cap remained popular in the 1920s and 30s, the standard headwear for British boys. They weredone in many different colors and patterns. Baden Powell even adooted them the new Wokf Cub orogram (1916). The peaked cap was still standard at the time of World War II and into the 1950s. The school cap began to decline in ppularily during the 1950s, especially the late-50s. Today the peaked cap is primarily seen as a school style as well as the style of the traditional Cub cap. It had largely disappered in England by the end of the century. Cubs no longer wear them, They are, however, still worn at a few private preparatory schools.
The 19th Century
The peaked cap appeared in the mid-19th century, we believe first at private schools in England. It necame a proinced Enlish style. Private schools for many years had a major impact on boys' styles. The Eton collar, for example, was inintially a school style. We thinj it may havevbeen at first a games cap. Iit soon became a standard private school style. And soon boys at state schools began wearing these caps. The caps appeared at about the same time Britain was beginning to build a state school system. Unlike the boys at private schools, boys at state schools usually did not have large wardrobes. As a result, many boys wore these caps for all occassions, school, casual, play, church, and other dress up occassions. It woild have been the only cap that many boys had. Thev style was so popular we see well-to-do boys eating them even when not at school. A good eample is the Mosley boy wearing a peaked cap with a fashionanle sailor suit in 1895.. By the late late-19th century these caps were becoming unbiquitos for school age children. The phitigraph here us a good examole (figure 1).
The 20th Century
The peaked cap remained popular in the 1920s and 30s, the standard headwear for British boys. They were done in many different colors and patterns. Some were doime with pioping. Other had fifferent colored segments or circles. The really colorful ones were donr as prep school iniformms matching the blazers. Baden Powell even adooted them the new Wolf Cub program (1916). He chose a bright green cap with yellow pipinf. Boys wearing them to state schools generally wore a nlie one. The peaked cap was still standard at the time of World War II and into the 1950s. The school cap began to decline in ppularily during the 1950s, especially the late-50s. Today the peaked cap is primarily seen as a school style as well as the style of the traditional Cub cap. It had largely disappered in England by the end of the century. Cubs no longer wear them, They are, however, still worn at a few private preparatory schools.
