Boys' Caps

Boys and men wore hats and caps much more commonly in the past. Beginning in the 1950s head gear, except for baseball caps became much less common. Boys wore very formal caps in the late 19th century, many variatiins of sailor hats . In addition to these formals hats, many more informal caps have been worn

Figure 1.--This boy making a presentation to the Queen and is in a formal Scottish outfits sports a Tam O'Shanter with the trade-mark dangling black ribbon. Note the Eton collar which helps dates the picture to the 1920s.

by boys. A cap is a close-fitting head covering resembling a hat, but differing principally because of the absence of a brim or by having a brim that only partially circumvents the crown.

I have just begun collecting information on this subject, but some of the head gear to be covered include:

Cap Styles

• Pill box: Caps based on the uniform caps worn by British soldiers during the mid and late 19th century. Adopted by some Boys' Brigade units. Eventually used extensively by hotel pages.
• Campaign caps: I'm not sure how this style developed, but would appreciate any insights you might have.
• Tam O'Shanter: This is one of the best known poems of Scottish poet Robert Burns. It was based on the popular belief that no evil spirits can pass the middle of a running stream. The hero is pursued by witches for disturbing their dance at Alloway Kirk, and suceeds in crossing the River Doon in saftey. I have first noticed the caps in mid-19th century paintings of boys wearing kilts. I'm not sure when the caps first appeared or why they were named after Burns' hero.
• Peaked caps: Peaked caps first appeared in England at cricket matches and schoolboy uniforms and were commonly worn through the 1950s. British school caps while of the same basic design came in a wide variety of colors and paterns (including pie wedges and cirles). Today they are rarely seen except at cricket matches and a few traditional prep schools. The style was adopted by American baseball players in the late 19th century. When Cub scouts were formed it became part of the basic uniform in most countries. British cubs continue to wear the traditional cap, but American cubs in the 1980s changed to baseball caps. Well dressed American boys wearing suits in the 1920s-30s often wore solid colored peaked caps. This was less common in Britain as boys were more likely to wear their school caps.
• Berets:The beret is a soft round visorless cap. It is traditiinally associated with French schooboys and smocks. It was worn by small boys in America during the 1920s and 30s, but was generally viewed as a girls cap in America. Military groups began wearing berets in the Second World War. Some Scout groups such as the British Scouts and individual American Scout units wear berets.
• Beanies: American boys wore beanies in the 1920s and 30s. Often pins and badges of various sort adorned them as well as novelty propellers.
• Baseball: Baseball caps were worn almost exclusvely for playing baseball and in the United States. Since the 1960s baseball caps have become virtually the only headgear worn by American boys and in the 1990s worn backwards. Beginning in the mid-1980s baseball caps have spread virtually all over the world and are worn by boys who have neve played baseball.
• Cowboy: This American classic is now rarely seen except in some of the Western states.
• Coon-skin: The Walt Disney Davey Crocket movie caused a fad for coon-skin caps for American boys in the 1950s