Figure 1.--This American teenager was photographed with his classic straw boater. Notice ther flat top and brim. The portrait is not dated, but looks like the 1870s to us. Mote the white or light-colored hat band.

A boater is a summer hat normally made in straw. We note other hats that were done in various materials. The boater was essentially a straw hat. They are also called bashers and skimmers. We are not entirely sure of its origins, but may have been originally a Royal Navy style. This presumably explains the name. There is a definite association with sailing and boating. The boater is a hat with a medium width brim and flat crown. Hasts were quite varied in the 19th century. We see examples that essentially look like boaters, but with minor variations in the brim and crown. The boater can be worn with a colorful ribbon band. In England boys wore it as a school cap and the hat band would be done in the school colors. This was less common in Anerica. We see American boys wearing straw boaters. It was not a major style for American boys, but we do see some wearing them. We assume it was a style imported from England, but are not yet positive about this. We are not sure about the chronology. We note straw boaters in the 1870s, but they may have appeared earlier. We also notice portraits from the 1880s. We see an unidentified Philadelphia boy with a boater in the 1890s. We note boys wearing them at the turn of the 20th century. The 1900s-10s seems to have been the peak of popularity. We also notice them in the 1920s, but do not see many boys wearing them by the 20s. The boater seems primarily a style for boys from relatively affluent families.

Seasonality

A boater is a summer hat. It would not have been practical for the winter. Not only would it not have provided any warmth, but strong gusts of wind would have sent it sailing. Women wearing boaters often ise hats ppins to secure them. The open weave of straw boaters provided ventaltion in warm weather at a time when most men wore headwear when going outdoors. Boys wearin boaters would have other headwear for cold weather. Here the photogrphic record can be a little misleading. Most of pour images are studio portraits in which seasonlity is often obscured. We do have a few family snap-shots after the turn-of-th 20th century. wjhich show boys cressed up in boaters, but at the time the boater was going out of style for boys and caps were becoming the standard heaswear fir boys, especially flat caps.

Material

The boater was normally made in straw. We note other hats that were done in various materials. The boater was essentially a straw hat. All of the available boaters we have found were done in straw. We are not sure why, but it was the perfect material for summerwear.

Terminology

We are not entirely surch what term Americzns used for boaters in the 19th century. Boaters are also called bashers and skimmers. We are not entirely sure of its origins, but may have been originally a Royal Navy style. This presumably explains the name. There is a definite association with sailing and boating. They were aslso called straw hata in the 20th century.

Construction

The classic boater is a hat with a medium width flat brim and flat crown. The hats could vary in weight and the white and fltmness of the brim. The top alsdo varied. Hats were quite varied in the 19th century. We see examples that essentially look like boaters, but with minor variations in the brim and crown. We see some whewre the crown was slightly rounded and the bims sligtly rurned. They are close enough to bosaters, however, thsat I think it is fair to classify them as such. In the 20th century the classic design was much more prevalent with flat tops and brims.

Hat Band

The boater can be worn with a ribbon band of various withs. In England boys wore it as a school cap and the hat band would be done in the school colors. This was less common in Anerica. We see boyh ligh and dark headbands as we;; as more varied colored hat bands. The standard dark and light bands seem the most common, but this needs to be confirmed. We have just begun to assess this topic.

Age

We see a wide age range of American boys wearing straw boaters. It was not a major style for American boys, but we do see some wearing them, including younger boys. We see them being worn with a variety of outfits, The boater for boys was aress up style. We do not see boys for the most part wearing them for play. The boater, however, was more common with older boys and men. Here we only notice boys who had been breeched wearing them. This would mean boys from about 5 years of age. The younger set were more likely to wear broad-brimmed sailor hats. We have not yet found younger boys wearing them still wearing dresses or kilt suits. Although we do see some girls wearing them. Most of the imageswe have found show boys wearing them from about 10-years of age. We think tht they were more common for teenagers and were a major style for adult men, especially younger men.

Origins

The boater was a style imported from England during the 19th century. Most American fashions at the time were still imported from Europe. Britain and France were the two most important countries.

Chronology

We are not sure about the chronology of the boater in America. We have archived many portraits of boys wearing boaters, but unfortunalry, most are not dated. We have not yet noted the boater in the 1860s, but suspect that this was when the hat first appeared in America. We note straw boaters in the 1870s, but they may have appeared earlier. A good example is an unidentified Indiana boy. The portrait is undated, but looks like the 1870s to us. We also notice portraits from the 1880s. We see an unidentified Philadelphia boy with a boater in the 1890s. We note boys wearing them at the turn of the 20th century. The 1900s-10s seems to have been the peak of popularity for the boater as a whole. EWe are less sure about boys. We also notice them in the 1920s, but do not see many boys wearing them by the 20s.

Social Class

The boater seems primarily a style for boys from relatively affluent families. A factor here was cost. The boater was not a particular expensive hst, but it was also not durable and this not practical for boys.

Gender

The boater was primarily a man's hat style, but girls and women did wear them. This was the case in america and other countries. We do not know to what exten there were coubtry differences yet. Women and girls often wore their boaters with hatpins to keep them in place. In fact we see quite a few girls and women wearing them in the photgraphic record. We are not sure about the chronology. We first women a girls wearing them in what we think are the 1890s, but we these are images for which we are just estimsting the date. We believe that they were primarily worn earlier, but do not yet the photograohic evidence to sunstantite it. They seem most common with younger women, but we see girls and older women wearing them as well. Some girls' schools even adopted them as part of the school uniform. As with the boaters worn by men and boys, we see various variations in the style of the boaters. Sometimes girls and women even decorated them, not as elaborately as other styles but we do see decorations.

Created: 3:42 AM 1/29/2008
Last updated: 5:08 PM 8/4/2016