Figure 1.-- Here we see three unidentified brothers. The boys look about 1-5 years of age. The middle boy wears a kilt suit. The older boy wears a knee pants suit. Mother has selected sifferent headwear for them, a boater and a rounded crown hat. Age conventions appear to have nothing to do with choices. others most commonly chose hats when dresing boys up, but we also ee caps. There were no definitive conventions. This portrait is undated, but the mount style suggests the 1890s. The studio was Gurrad in LaSalle, Illinois.

We notice a range of hat styles commonly worn by boys in the 1890s. Two of the most popular styles for boys were the wide brimmed sailor hat and the rounded crown hat with a modest brim. We continue to see rounded crown hats in rural areas the 1890s. This was perhps the most common style for boy throughout the 19th century. We are not sure what the proper name for the hts were at the time. They are often called prson's hats today. This was the last decade that these hats were a major style for boys. Younger boys might wear broad-brimmed sailor hats. This was a popular style worn with both Fauntleroy suits and the other outfits worn by younger boys. It was essentially the rounded crown hat withan enlarged brim, although some of thee hats had flat crowns. We see both rounded and flat top hats. Some of these hats were huge compared to the size of the boys. We also see boaters which was becoming a style worn by youths and men as well. This was not the only headwear worn by younger boy, but it was one of the most popular. All of these styles varied greatly. Notice the boy's hat pn the previous page It rather looks like a hat in between a wide-brimmed sailor hat and a boater. The boater of course originated as a sailor hat. So it is not lway possible to clerly categorizd the different styles.

Created: 3:42 PM 5/28/2016
Last updated: 3:42 PM 5/28/2016