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Top hats are not a style normally associated with boys. They were the formal headwear for men during the secind half of the 19th century and the eatly 20th century. I have no ninformation at this time about the origins of the style. While primarily an adiult style, toppers were also worn by boys. They were worn by some boys from wealthy families in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The boys probably most asociated with wearing top hats are the students at Englidh public (exclusive private) schools. We know the boys at Eton and Harrow wore them. We do not know if they were worn at any other public schools. We are not sure when they were adopted as part of the school uniform. They were phased out as part of the austerities during World War II.
The portrait of the boy with the top hat has no writing on it, but there is an address of a photographer in Edgware, West London on the back. One reader writes, "The address is equidistant between Eton and Harrow so no clues there. If I had to toss for it, I would plump for Harrow. No proof though." Another reader writes, "Edgware is in north London, quite close to Harrow. However, I think Harrow photos were taken by the official photographer in the High Street. The shop is still there and sometimes places old pictures on display in the window. My guess is that this is a youth dressed in his Sunday best for a formal portrait rather than a school picture." Another comment from a British reader, "Hands in trouser pockets was certainly not allowed at British schools. I went to Clifton College. We did not have such a formal uniform, but I was actually beaten for having my hands in my pocket! I also recall walking along with my hand in my back pocket and being very surprised by a prefect challenging me under the same rule. Arguing about the matter got me 100 lines and, as these were aggregated, I ended up in much the same position a couple of weeks later."
Top hats are not a style normally associated with boys. The top hat is the formal hat style normally associated with adult men. It was an expensive hat and thus worn by men of some affluence. It fact it became virtually a symbol of wealthy capitalists.
I have no information at this time about the origins of the style. I am not precisely sure when top hats first appeared. We know it was the early 19th century. We begin seeing them in the 1830s. They were the formal headwear for men during the second half of the 19th century and the eatly 20th century. We do not see many boys wearing them, but we do see some. We see a French boy in the 1860s. Another good example is a very young American boy, probably in the 1870s. The most common usage by boys was at English public schools like Eton and Harrow. We are not sure when they were first worn at these schools. The top hat declined in popularity after World War I, but was still seen in formal occassions, especially diplomatic events. I am not sure when the Eton boys stopped wearing them, perhaps World War II. The last top hat I saw was President Kennedy wearing one for his inaguration (1961).
The top hat was made in various heights. We note a young American boy in the 1870s with a top hat of moderate height. The public school boy here wears the normasl height of a proper top hat.
While primarily an adult style, toppers were also worn by boys, although this was not very common. They were worn by some boys from wealthy families in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This portrait may show a British boy in an Eton suit for formal wear and not a school uniform. While the top hat was normally associated with men, boys did wear them. This would normally be boys from wealthy families. We are not sure just what would be the conventions involved here. Perhaps it was just for special occassions. Some boys may have worn these hats as part of an elaborate costume, but we think that boys from wealthy families actually did wear them on occassion.
The boys probably most asociated with wearing top hats are the students at English public (exclusive private) schools. We do not know any other countries in which top hats were worn. We know the boys at Eton and Harrow wore them. We do not know how common this was. We do not know if they were worn at any other public schools. We are not sure when they were adopted as part of the school uniform. They were phased out as part of the austerities during World War II.
We do have much country information. We have noted boys in American England, and France wearing top hats. An American example is Arthur J. Miller about 1870.
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