United States Brimless Round Caps: Age Trends


Figure 1.--This unidentified Chicago boy wears a high-lapel knee pants suit. He looks to be about 11-years old. Notice his brimless cap which does not match the suit. The portait is undated, but we would guess was taken in the early-1880s. The studio was Gehrig in Chicago.

These brimless caps seem to have been a cap style worn mostly by pre-teens or very young teens. The caps were very popular, thus we have a detailed photographic record of the age trends. The boys on the previous page with these caps look to be about 4-8 years of age (figure 1). One of the two older boys is not yet breeched. We see an unidentified boy wearing a Fauntleroy suit with a matching brimmless cap. He looks to be 4-5 years old. We notice these caps featuring prominently for younger boys in a 1890 mail order catalog. More commonly we see them being worn by school-age boys. The boy here is a good example (figure 1). He looks to be about 11 years old. Note that his cap does not match his suit. We have just begun to work on the age conventions. We have archived many examples of these caps on HBC and as we cross reference them we should be able to develop a much better idea of the age conventions. The smoking cap worn by men of course is an exception. Men may have worn these caps as a kind of sporting fashion.

4 Year Olds

The boys on the previous page with these caps look to be about 4-8 years of age (figure 1). One of the two older boys is not yet breeched. We see an unidentified boy wearing a Fauntleroy suit with a matching brimmless cap. He looks to be 4-5 years old.

5 Year Olds

We notice a grandson of President Benjamin Harrison wearing one of these caps about 1892 at the White House. He loks to be about 5 years old. We notice these caps featuring prominently for younger boys in a 1890 mail order catalog. More commonly we see them being worn by school-age boys.

11 Years Olds

The unidentified Chicao boy here wearing a standard knee oants suit is a good example (figure 1). He looks to be about 11 years old. Note that his cap does not match his suit.






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Created: 8:24 PM 11/21/2013
Last updated: 8:24 PM 11/21/2013