Figure 1.--This boy in the 1950s wore a flat cap. It is one of the oldest such images that I have noted. It would have been considered rather old fashioned ar the time. He also wears long stockings which were also considered old fashioned by the 1950s. We believe both flat caps and long stockings were more popular in East than West Germany.

We have only limited information on flat caps worn by German boys. We are not sure what these caps were called in German. There were several terms in English. Surely some form of "mütze". We note several images of German boys wearing a variety of flat cap styles. Various styles were worn. A good example is a Berlin boy about 1905-10. So far the examples we have found come from the 20th century. The flat cap does not, however, seem nearly as popular in Germany for boys as it was in America or even Britain. This may be because of our still limited number of German images, however, our initial assessment is that flat caps were worn, but relatively few boys had them. They may have had the image of a working-class style. In particular we do not note the style being worn extensively during the NAZI era (1932-45). We wonder if the style was not liked by the NAZIs. (The NAZIs had definire ideas about how children should dress and in addition, the flat cap seems to have had working-class connotations which did not appeal to the NAZI idea of class unity.) The flat cap seems to have been more of a style for older boys than teenagers, in part because many school-age boys wore school caps or other styles. We see a few images from the 1950s of boys wearing flat caps, but the style had dissapeared by the 1960s. We are unsure about the social class connotations. Hopefully our German readers will tell us more about flat caps.

Terminology

We have only limited information on flat caps worn by German boys. We are not sure what these caps were called in German. There were several terms in English. Surely some form of "mütze".

Styles

We note several images of German boys wearing a variety of flat cap styles. Various styles were worn. A good example is a Berlin boy about 1905-10.

Chronology

So far the examples we have found come from the 20th century, especially the early-20th century before the NAZIs seized power. We find very few examples during the NAZI era (1933-45). We see a few images from the 1950s of boys wearing flat caps, mostly in East Germany. The style had dissapeared by the 1960s.

Popularity

The flat cap does not, however, seem nearly as popular in Germany for boys as it was in America or even Britain. This may be because of our still limited number of German images, however, our initial assessment is that flat caps were worn, but relatively few boys had them. They may have had the image of a working-class style. In particular we do not note the style being worn extensively during the NAZI era (1932-45). We wonder if the style was not liked by the NAZIs. (The NAZIs had definire ideas about how children should dress and in addition, the flat cap seems to have had working-class connotations which did not appeal to the NAZI idea of class unity, expressed in the famous dictum--'Ein Reich, Ein Volk, Ein Führer'.)

Ages

The flat cap seems to have been more of a style for older boys than teenagers, in part because many school-age boys wore school caps or other styles.

Social Class

We are unsure about the social class connotations as we have very few actual examples. In some other countries there were social class connotations. This was not the case in America, but it was in England. And after the Bolsheviks seized power it became the politically correct headwear in the Soviet Union which would have affected Germany in the 1920s with its large Communist Party. This issue is a little complicated as the flat cap also became a kind of natty headwear for boys and young men, often worn with knicker suits. But it also was a cap style work by workers. This is not so apparent with German boys as many boys wore school caps or other juvenile styles. We do see teenagers wearing flt caps aftrer they left school, which for working-class children was commonly at about age 13 years. The social class connotations are a subject we are still wrestling with and because our archive still has only a few images, we are not yet to draw any firm conclusions.

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Created: March 5, 2002
Last updated: 4:31 PM 6/22/2011