* English boy clothes -- headwear chronology 20th century 1900a








English Boys' Headwear: Chronology--The 1900s


Figure 1.--Here we see three unidentified English children, we think in the 1900s. The younger girl wears a fancy white dress with a even fancier hat. The boy wears a sailor suit with a boater hat. Althoug boys still wore hats, caps were becoming increasingly popular in the 1900s.

Headwear was still widely worn by English boys in the early-20th century (figure 1). headwear waas considered an essential part of proper dress. Boys were taught to tip their caps. This formality was standard in the 19th century and continued to be the case in the 1900s. Hats were still worn, but were not as common. Girls might wear really fancy ones when dressing up. Boy might wear boaters, at least boys from families in comfortable circunstances. While hats were still worn, caps were becoming the standard wear for most English boys. Social class was a factor. Boys from well-to-do families might have both caps and hats. Working-class boys probbly only had a cap. At the turn-of-the 20th century, the peaked school cap was emerging the dominant headwear style for boys. We see, however, some different styles. Flat caps, a related style, also seem common. Yonger boys from affluent families might wear broad-brimmed hats. The peaked school cap was becoming standard wear. Older boys might wear boaters. Schools played a major role in setting styles. Boys at a few tony private schools wore top hats. We notice some boys seasonally wearing stocking caps. Boys of more modest circumstances might wear stocking caps, headwear that required more respectability as the century progressed. Girls could wear very fancy hats and bonnets. In short, caps were becoming increasingly common, but hats were still worn, although social class factors were involved.







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Created: 9:33 PM 6/13/2016
Last updated: 9:33 PM 6/13/2016