Figure 1.--This oval tintype shows two unidentified American children. The portrait is undated, but we would guess was taken in the 1890s. The boys wears a knee pants suit with black long stockings. He has non-sailor headwear--a flat cap. His sister wears a sailor cap. We are not sure if it is her or his. she vis wearing what loks like a white pinafore over a dress.

Sailor headwear, both hats and caps, came in several differehnt styles. Like sailor suits, were were originally worn exclusively by boys. Both boys and girls wore the same styles. Boys were outfitted in sailor suits first in England (1840s). It was the Prince of Wales and he wore a medium-brimmed sailor hat. Soon caps also appeared bcause they were more common for naval uniforms. From the bginning, the sailor suits boys wore were based on the uniforms of enlisted sailors (ratings). The earliest American image we have confirming so far daes to the 1870s, but was auapect there was some 1860s examples. The choice of sailor suits for the young Prince of Wales undoubtedly nwas what made the sailior suit and sailor headwear aceptable as a boys' fashion. (We are not sure just whose idea this was, Victoria, Albert, or an adviser. We do knopw that the decission was beautifully recorded by Winterhalter.) It was not until the 1870s, however, that the sailor suit became a major fashion for boys and was also being worn by girls. The sailor suit while not as dominate a style for girls as for boys, was still widely worn by girls. The styles involved were primarily based on the uniforms of the Bitish Royal Navy, a reflection of how important the Royal Navy was.

Chronology

Types/Styles

The sailor suit developed as a major syle for boys in the late-19th century. It developed first in Britain and then spread to America. British styles were very influential in America, but sailt suits and caps became a standard for children throughout the Western world. There was sailor headwear worn with the suits. The most common headwear for younger boys in the late-19th century was the wide-brimmed sailor hat, but sailor caps soon became more popular. There were several different styles, primarily following the uniform caps worn by the U.S. Navy.

Caps

Unfortunately we are not entirely sure about the proper name for these caps. Sailor caps were widely worn by boys and to some extent girls in the late-19th and early-20th century. Sailor caps were mostly done in blue or white. They were of coure worn with sailor suits. They were, however, also worn with many different garments. We note Harold Howes in 1905 wearing a sailor cap with a tunic suit. Boys might wear sailor suits with out the caps. The proper sailor caps were rather a formal style, often not worn casually. An exception was the swabie cap worn beinning in the 1920s.

Hats

While the wide-brimmed sailor hat may have originated in England and appeared later in America, it was very popular in the 1880s-1900s. We notice many American boys wearing sailor hats. It was a hat style specifically for children. Both boys and girls wore them. No other hat style was especially common for younger boys. There were many cap styles specifically for boys, but hat styles were somewhat less common. Several hat styles were worn over time, but the most common was a wide-brimmed style mostly worn by younger boys. There were variations in styles of these sailor hats, both the brim and the crown. Some of the brims were very large. For some reason the younger boys seem to have had the hats with the largest brims. Mamy hats had trim around the brim. There were both flat and rounded crowns. They were commonly made with chin straps and streamers. The way the photographs were posed, the streamers were often not visible. They were often worn with sailor suits, but were also worn with many other juvenile styles. These included both Fauntleroy suits tunic suits. They were also wirn with just blouses during the summer.

Conventions

Ages

Gender

Sailor caps were widely worn by boys and to some extent girls in the late-19th and early-20th century. Sailor caps were mostly done in blue or white. Girls tended to wear sailor hats more than the caps, but we do see girls wearing sailor caps as well. This depended both on the period and the cap style. They did not wear all the different styles. We do not see girls wearing the saucer/dixie cup or the saucer caps. We rarely see them wearing the flat top caps. We do see them wearing the soft caps and the tam-like caps. This seems most common in the early-20th century. These styles were worn by both boys and girls. It was mostly younger girls wearing caps. There was no sailor cap style exclusively for girls.

Created: 11:05 PM 8/10/2019
Last updated: 11:05 PM 8/10/2019