Figure 1.-These two American boys look to be about 5-9 years old. The younger boy wears a blouse, the older boy wears a collar-buttoning suit. Both boys wear long pants. They also both wear similar rounded crown straw hats. |
|
CDVs by the 1860s begin to provide large numbers of images showing the hats worn by boys. The CDV was done in much greater numbers than the earlier formats (Dags and Ambros). This for the first time we have huge numbers of images showing fashion trends. We see many boys wearing rounded-crown hats. We are not sure just what these hats were called at the time. We tend to call them parson's hats today. This was by far the most common boy's hat style of the 19th century. Men wore them as well, but they were not a particularly fashionable style. We do not see men wearing fashionable suits sporting these parson's hats. We are not entirely sure when it first appeared, but it was the single most important headwear type. This became the basis for sailor-styled hats with brims. Older boys might wear hat styles worn by men. The most fashionable adult hat was the silk top hat that President Lincoln is so famous for wearing.
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Return to the Main U.S. hat 19th century chronology page]
[Return to the Main U.S. hat chronology page]
[Return to the Main U.S. country headwear page]
[Return to the Main U.S. 1880s garment page]
[Return to the 1880s catalogs]
[Introduction]
[Activities]
[Biographies]
[Chronology]
[Clothing styles]
[Countries]
[Bibliographies]
[Contributions]
[FAQs]
[Glossary]
[Images]
[Links]
[Registration]
[Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]