Boys' Flat Caps: Chronology


Figure 1.--This image is undated, but HBC estimates at about 1895-1900. It was taken in Chicago. Notice how the three brothers are dressed almost identically, despite the differences in ages. The boys wear similar kneepants suits with Eton collars and floppy bows. Also notice the short hair cuts.

Flat caps were commonly noted in the historical record by the 16th century and were worn even earlier. HBC begins to see the modern style of these caps being commonly worn in 1890s, but they might have appeared earlier. I believe that they began to be widely worn in the late 1890s--perhaps somewhat earlier. HBC needs to reserach this more in period clothes catalogs, but has not had time to do so. They were clearly most commonly worn by boys in the 1920s and continued popular in the 1930s. They had declined in popularity by the 1940s. The time line for these caps varied somewhat by country. Nowhere were they more popular than in America. Styles changed over time. A HBC contributor reports, "The 1920s-30s cap in the photos on this page look a little fuller than the caps I saw when I was younger."

Decades

Flat caps were commonly noted in the historical record by the 16th century and were worn even earlier. HBC begins to see the modern style of these caps being commonly worn in 1890s, but they might have appeared earlier.

1890s

I believe that they began to be widely worn in the late 1890s--perhaps somewhat earlier. HBC needs to reserach this more in period clothes catalogs, but has not had time to do so.

1900s

HBC first begins to see flat caps commonly being worn by American boys in the 1900s. At this time they were most commonly worn by older boys. Interestingly, the popularity of flat caps appears to have occurred at about the same time American boys began wearing knickers.

1910s

The flat cap during the 1910s became the dominate cap style for boys in America. This was not true in other countries. The peaked school cap dominated in England. HBC is less sure of other countries.

The 1920s

They were clearly most commonly worn by boys in the 1920s.

The 1930s

The flat cap continued popular in the 1930s, but was declining in popularity by the end of the decade.

The 1940s

The flat cap rapidly disappeared as a boys cap in the early 1940s. Interestingly it passed from boys' fashion history at the same time as knickers. The flat cap comtinued to be worn by men, notably taxi drivers and golfers. In England hunters wore them. After the early 1940s, however, they were rarely worn by boys.

Country Trends

The time line for these caps varied somewhat by country. Nowhere were they more popular than in America. HBC has not yet assessed the varying national time lines.

Styles

Styles changed over time. A HBC contributor reports, "The 1920s-30s cap in the photos on this page look a little fuller than the caps I saw when I was younger." HBC has not yet been able to assess the varying time lines of the different flat cap styles.
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Association with Knickers

Sime of the earliest photographs of boys wearing flat caps from the 1890s show them wearing knee pants. By the 1900s, however, almost all images of boys in flat caps show them wearing knickers. This was in part because the age group deemed appropriate for both knicketrs and flat caps was similar and the two styles became popular at about the same time. Curiously they both passed from the American fashion scene for boys at about the same time--the early 1940s.





Christopher Wagner






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Created: July 28, 2000
Last updated: July 28, 2000