Figure 1.--Military-styled headwear, especially caps, were popular in America throughout the 19th century. In the first half of the centyry wee see Oliver Twist caps whicvh evolved from Napoleonic War styles. After the Civil War we see boys wearing kepis. This Daguerrotype shows two American school boys about 1850.

American children wore many different styles of headwear. Styles are different than types. The two major types (caps and hats) are done in difernt styles. There are, for examples, both sailor caps and sailor hats. Some of the popular styles including: athletic, casual, ethnic, formal, military (including sailor), school, and many others. We see military styles in the 19th century. Sailor styles were very important for a century. Army styles were popular throughout the 19th century. The major shift in the 20th century wsas the decline of formal styles and the increasing popularity of casual styles, first the flat cap and then the baseball cap. These were major styles, most worn in other countries. There were also specialized American styles. There are some headwear styles that are are strongly associated with certain countries. Most caps and hats were widely worn in Europe and North America. A few have country asociations such as berets (France), Schirmmütze (Germany), and school caps (England). This is not to sau the peaked cap which became the school cap or the beret was not worn in other countries, but the became iconinic English and French garments. No country has, however, had so many headwear styles (mostly caps) that are so strongly many cap styles that are so strongly associated with than America. We note some styles that seem uniquely American Cowboy hats were popular with boys, but more as a novelty or play cap. Coon-skin caps made a brief appearane in the 1950s. Some headwear had mixed usages. The aviator caps or hemets were novelty styles, but they were very warm winter caps as well. Of course the American cap that has had the greates impact around the world is the baseball cap. It wa a uniquely American style for decades. Only in the 1980s do we see it making inroads around the wotld. We first noted this in Britain when we saw of all people, British coal miners in their struugle against Prime-Minister Thatcher wearing baseball caps (1980s). It took a little longer for British children to begin weaing them. There were also specialized gender styles, although her conventions changed over time. And there were age appropriate styles. And we seasob\nally appropritare styles. Here while headwear in general mhas declined, we continue to see coldweeather headwear.

Created: 11:05 PM 8/10/2019
Last updated: 11:05 PM 8/10/2019