Figure 1.--These unidentified American children were photographed around the turn-of-the 20th century. The girl wears a very plain dress with a large lace collar. Notice her elaborate straw hat carefully positioned for full effect at hr feet. . Her little brother wears a fancy Fauntleroy blouse and kilt-skirt. Note his huge floppy bow. A reader writes with her assessment, "Just imagine the girl having to balance that thing on her head!"

Girls very commonly wore headwear in the 19th century. This became less common in the 20th century, especially the second half of the 20th century. We notice girls wearing a wide range of hats. The styles varies over time, but many styles were variation on sailor wide-brimmed hats. Age was less important than was the case for boys. We notice the most simple up to the rediculously elabotate. Hats could be large and elaborate in the late-19th and very early-20th centuty. Here there was a complication with hair stles as girls like to showcase their hair. There were also caps, but hats were more common. Some hats such as rounded-crown hats were similar to boys hsats, but the styles and decoration were mostly different. One style of caps worn by boys and girls were stocking caps. Often girls worn fancier stocking caps or caps of a different color , but often they wore the same styles as the boys. We notice girls of all ages wearing berets in the first half of the 20th century. Only very young boys wore berts.

Chronology

There have been destinctive gender trends in headwear over time. Peopleof all genders and ages very commonly wore headwear in the 19th century. Girls in the 19th century mostly wore bonnets and hats. Our information on the early-19th century is limited. Thanks to the inventin of photography, by th mid-10th century we have for the first time a great deal of informatin on headwear. Sailor-styled hats became popular at mid-century. Caps often with military styling were more for boys. We occassionaly see girls wearing Scottish caps, but this was not very common. Tams and berets began to become popular in the late 19th century, but were not a major style until the early-20th century. Headwear became less common in the 20th century, especially the second half of the 20th century. We notice girls wearing a wide range of hats. The styles varies over time, but many styles were variation on sailor wide-brimmed hats. We notice girls of all ages wearing berets in the first half of the 20th century. Only very young boys wore berets. Perhaps coincident with bobbed hir we sudendly see helmet-like cloche cap. They were hats with smll or non-exisent brims. Group pitures show women and girls wearing these hats and the bous wearing flat caps. Headwear became less common in the 20th century, especially the second half of the 20th century. Only in the late-20th century do we see some girls wearing caps to any extent mostly baseball caos. We see Brownies (junior girl Scouts) wearing beanies in the mid-mid-20th centuty. oth boys and girls wore stocking caps with a range of gender differences. Some girls wore baseball caps in the late-20th century.

Types

We notice girls wearing a wide range of headwear. Caps, often with military styling were more for boys. We mostly see hats inthe 19th century. The styles varied over time, but many styles were variation on sailor wide-brimmed hats. We notice the most simple up to the rediculously elabotate. Hats could be large and elaborate in the late-19th and very early-20th centuty. Here there was a complication with hair stles as girls like to showcase their hair. There were also caps, but hats were more common. Some hats such as rounded-crown hats were similar to boys' hats, but the styles and decoration were mostly different. One style of caps worn by both boys and girls were stocking caps. Often girls worn fancier stocking caps or caps of a different color, but often they wore the same styles as the boys. Berets and tams were apopilar style for girls, especially after hats declinined in popularity in the 20th centurty. We notice girls of all ages wearing berets in the first half of the 20th century. They were often called tams at the time. Only very young boys wore berts in America. A related style, the tam o'shanter or tam was also very popular with Americam girls, especially during the 1910s and 20s. This is a little confusing as girls at the time often called berets tams.

Age

Age was less of a factor with girls headwear than was the case for boys headwear. We see much wideer age ranges for girls' headwear than was the case for boys' headwear. We often see teenage girls wearing many of the same styles styles as little girls. This includes hats and tams. It is also true of caps, although girls did not wear caps as commonly as boys. The primary hat worn by girls was the ronded crown hat with wide brims. We see girls wearing them into the 1960s. The age conventions for the different types and styles of headwear varied over time along with popularity.

Seasonality

Headwear was highly seasonal. A big wide-brimmed hat, often done in straw, was not suitable for winter weather or for yhat matter rainly or windy days. Stocking caps and berets/tams were suitable for winter wearas they helped keep the head warm.

Created: 7:57 AM 1/10/2010
Last updated: 5:52 PM 4/22/2014