English School Uniform Headwear: Gender


Figure 1.--Here we see English boys and girls during the summer, apparently visiting a farm. They look to be from different schools. We are not sure the occassion for the farm visit. One boy wears a standard peaked cap. The girls wear another popular school style, a rounded crown hat and turned up brim. We are not sure what the English call this style. The younger boy wears a sun hat, a non-uniform item. The snapshot is undatesd, but looks to be the 1930s. Notice the girls wear long stockings. English boys by the 30s were weaing socks.

Headwear was the most diverse schoolwear itemfor both boys and girls. And this only increased when more girls began attending boarding schools. The first schools in England were for boys. This included the boarding schools. When private schools for girls were established (mid-19th century), the schools had to develop a program suited for their needs, or more accurately what was thought appropriate at the time. The girls' schools adopted the philosophy and much of the program of the boys' schools with some modifications. This included both sports and the uniform. But of couese the girls could not dress like boys. Girls were expected to wear skirts and dresses. Girls began wearing decidedly boysish items like ties and blazers, both strongly associated with the boys' public schools. There were of course differences as well. The two main differences were headwear and of course skirts rather than trousers. The one boys' headwear style that proved popular for the girls was the boater. Soon we see more girls wearing boaters than boys. Other wise rounded-crown hat with turned up brims were very popular. Boys in state and private schools commonly wore peaked caps. There were a range of other styles, but the peaked cap was the most common. We are less sure what headwear girls in state schools wore. All of this of course varied over time. This of course was especially true of boys who attemnded school over several centuries. Girls only beggan attending school regularly in the 19th century.

Boys

Headwear until the mid-20th century was an essential part of daily dress. Thus headwear formed a part of the outfits chikren wore to school both as part of school uniformas as well as par of the ordunary outfits children wore to school. These styles have varied overtime as well as the convention gor wearing them. Some but not all headwear types became standard parts of schoolm uniform. The most important here was ceratinly the school caps. Most were not commonly worn by boys. This include the mortar board and top hat. Some popular cap styles were worn by Britush boys, but never adopted as part of school uniforms. The most important here was the flat cap, although one prep school did adopt it. England is noted for two types of school uniform headgear. The first is the peaked school cap. Virtually all British schoolboys wore peaked caps through the 1950s. Both state and private schools required them. They at first in the late 19th century appear to have been used as a kind of sports or games cap. Eventually they became a standard uniform item and were even worn at state schools without uniforms. A great variety of colors, including circles and school crests decorated these caps which flooded British streets with boys going and coming to school. The second type of headgear is the boater. This hat was much less common than the traditional school cap, but it was worn at several public schools and still is at a few like Harrow.

Girls

Headwear was the most diverse schoolwear itemfor both boys and girls. And this only increased when more girls began attending boarding schools. The first schools in England were for boys. This included the boarding schools. When private schools for girls were established (mid-19th century), the schools had to develop a program suited for their needs, or more accurately what was thought appropriate at the time. The girls' schools adopted the philosophy and much of the program of the boys' schools with some modifications. This included both sports and the uniform. But of couese the girls could not dress like boys. Girls were expected to wear skirts and dresses. Girls began wearing decidedly boysish items like ties and blazers, both strongly associated with the boys' public schools. There were of course differences as well. The two main differences were headwear and of course skirts rather than trousers. The one boys' headwear style that proved popular for the girls was the boater. Soon we see more girls wearing boaters than boys. Other wise rounded-crown hat with turned up brims were very popular. Boys in state and private schools commonly wore peaked caps. There were a range of other styles, but the peaked cap was the most common. We are less sure what headwear girls in state schools wore. All of this of course varied over time. This of course was especially true of boys who attemnded school over several centuries. Girls only beggan attending school regularly in the 19th century.






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Created: 2:53 AM 12/5/2013
Last updated: 8:15 PM 4/22/2017