Figure 1.-- This postcard back photograph shows an unidetified father and son, both wearing boaters. Notice how he wears his hat differently than his father. The boy wears an Eton collar, small bowtie along with a vested suit. The portrait is undated, but the fact that it is postcard means that it was taken during or after 1904. It could have been taken in the early 1910s, but the late 1900s seems more likely. Notice the boy's eye glasses.

Headwear was quite varied in the 1900s, but still virtually universal for both men and boys. We see men of all social classes wearing headwear, and this included hats. And the same was boys. Caps had become increasingly popular for boys in the 1890s. This trend continjued and they hey emerged as the dominant headwear for boys in the 20th century. We still see hats being commonly worn in the 1900s. There were still a variety of styles in the 1900s. We still see rounded-crown hats. This 19th century staple was going out of style, utvthey were still worn. Boaters were more common. They were most widely worn by men, but we see both boys and girls and yiung women wearing them. Younger boys might still ear wide-brimmed hats tht were popular in the late-19th century. We do see boys still wearing wide-brimmed sailor hats in the early-20th century, especially the 1900s. We see fewer boys wearing adult styles that we sometimes saw in the 19th bcentury. The boys we still see wearing them seem rural or working-class boys. Caps did not replace hats, but we see boys increasingly wearing caps rather than hats. Even so, we continue to see boys wearing hats throughout the first half of the 20th century. The hat gradually became seen as a formal type of headwear. Caps were more common for school and everyday wear. Older boys wore boaters and a variety of other adult-styled hats.

Prevalence

Headwear was quite varied in the 1900s, but still virtually universal for both men and boys.

Adult Headwear

We see men of all social classes wearing headwear, and this included hats. The images from the 1900s look rather srange to us today. Some wore caps, nut we see images of industruial wiorkers dressed in bowlers and other rather formal looking hats. Caps were becoming more common for workers, but in the 900s we still see quite few wirkers wearing hats. And the same was the case for boys. In fact boys rather led the shify to caps. Social class factors were involved here. The well-to-do only wotr hats for formal occasions. The bowler was very popular with the working class. In facr, it waa commonly worn in the West, Hollywood not respecying. Cowboys and lawmen wore themn as well as industrial workers. We still see that in the 1900s. We saw some voys wearing bowlers in the lae-19th century, but we no longer see boys wearing them to any extent in the 1900s.

Caps

Caps had become increasingly popular for boys in the 1890s. This trend continjued and they they emerged as the dominant headwear for boys in the 20th century. We still see hats being commonly worn in the 1900s. We see several different styles. Flt caps would be standard in the 190s, but in the 1900s we see several different styles being commonly worn.

Styles

There were still a variety of styles in the 1900s. We still see rounded-crown hats. This 19th century staple was going out of style, utvthey were still worn. Boaters were more common. They were most widely worn by men, but we see both boys and girls and yiung women wearing them. Younger boys might still ear wide-brimmed hats tht were popular in the late-19th century. We do see boys still wearing wide-brimmed sailor hats in the early-20th century, especially the 1900s. We see fewer boys wearing adult styles that we sometimes saw in the 19th bcentury. The boys we still see wearing them seem rural or working-class boys. Caps did not replace hats, but we see boys increasingly wearing caps rather than hats. Even so, we continue to see boys wearing hats throughout the first half of the 20th century. The hat gradually became seen as a formal type of headwear. Caps were more common for school and everyday wear. Older boys wore boaters and a variety of other adult-styled hats.

Created: 2:33 AM 5/18/2010
Last updated: 10:09 PM 6/3/2018