Figure 1.--Here we see an unidentified Southern boy wearing a kepi with his stylish cut-away jacket suit. The portrait is an Ambrotype, meaning it could have been taken just before the Civil War or probably early in the War. The boy looks to be about 5 years old. Source: Steve Young. Coast to Coast Antiques.

Americans will recognize the kepi as the Civil War cap. We do not see these caps being worn in America until the Civil War era. We see some just before the War in the 1850s. The kepi was adopted by borh the Federal and Condederate Armies from European militaries. We see boys wearing kepis during and after the Civil War. Here we see a southern boy about 1860 (figure 1). They appear to be most common in the 1860s and 70s, at least in the photographic record whichwas primarily studio photography. This probably gives a somewhat skewed indication of the chronological trends. Boys in studio portraits tended to wear whst mom chose. On their own when noy dressing up, we believe that the kepi was somewhat more popular. We see boys occassionaly wearing kepis throughout the late-19th century, but surprisngly few. Military schools used the kepi, but it does not appear to have been a particularly important style for most boys. We continue to see boys wearing kepis through the 1890s. A good example is Grant Lovecoy about 1880. Another exmple is the Smith boys about 1895. Another example is an unidentified Philadelphia boy in the 1890s. Some appeared to have been worn to school, although we have few details here. We rarely see kepis after the 20th century, except at Civil War events.

Created: 7:12 PM 4/7/2016
Last updated: 7:12 PM 4/7/2016