Figure 1.--This tintype shows an uunidentified boy about 5-6 years old wearing a cut-away jacket with a chain necklace. He is wearing a white hat that looks too big for him. This looks more like a bowler/derby than the rounded crown hat that boys more commonly wore at the time. The tintype like most tintypes is undated, but looks like the 1870s to us, possibly even the late-1860s.

The origins of some hats is difficult to ascertain with any surity. The origin of the bowler or derby, however, is well established. The bowler is a hard felt hat with a narrow brim, but pronounced rounded crown--roughly half of a circle. It was created for Thomas Coke, 2nd Earl of Leicester in 1850. It was a kind of early helmet, although different therories exist as for its purpose. Some suggest it was to protect horseback riders from low hanging tree branches. Other believe it was to protect game keepers being attacked by poachers. The term bowler came into use because of the name of the hat makers who got the first contract (Thomas and William Bowler). Of course this must have been helped along because the bowler looked like an upturned bowl. They called it the "iron hat", but bowler caught on. In Britain it became identified with butlers and male personal servants as well as professional men (bankers and civil servants). It was more widely worn in America, but without the same class destinctions. And in America tt was more commonly called derby. This suggestsn association with horseback rising--at least in the east. It was a hat style that seemed to stand between the formality of the top hat (commonly associated with the wealthy) and casual nature flat soft caps of the the working classes. It was primarily an adult style. Some boys in the late-19th century wore rather adult styles like bowlers. We note some boys after about age 10 wearing bowlers. Families varied. Most chose more juvenile styles for boys, but we see some fairly young boys wearing adult-looking bowlers. It seems rather strange today, but apprently was quite accepted at the time. We are not entirely sure about the social-class conventions involved. It is a little difficult to follow trends here. Hats of course are not identified in period photographs. And often even it catalogs, the different hats are not identified by name. Another problem is that hats were so commonly worn in the 19th and early-20th century that they were offered in large quantities and great variety. Thus we see many hats with various sized brims and a variety of rounded crowns. It is not always easy to identify just which of the hats falls within the designation of a bowler hat. Actually rounded crown hats were very popular for boys in the 19th century, but they tended to wear hats with wider brims and lower crown than the bowler. A good example is a New York boy in the 1880s.

Origin

The origins of some hats is difficult to ascertain with any surity. The origin of the bowler or derby, however, is well established. It was created for Thomas Coke, 2nd Earl of Leicester in 1850. It was a kind of early helmet, although different therories exist as for its purpose. Some suggest it was to protect horseback riders from low hanging tree branches. Other believe it was to protect game keepers being attacked by poachers.

Construction

The bowler is a hard felt hat with a narrow brim, but pronounced rounded crown--roughly half of a circle, although this varied.

Terminology

The term bowler came into use because of the name of the hat makers who got the first contract (Thomas and William Bowler). Of course this must have been helped along because the bowler looked like an upturned bowl. They called it the "iron hat", but bowler caught on. In Britain it was commonly called a bowler. In America it became better known as a derby. As far as we know this is the different term for the same hat.

Chronology

The bowler hat seems to have been created in England in 1850. We notice a bowler represented in an American painting in 1849. Some something may be off a year or two. We are not sure about this dscepancy. We notice photographic portaits with bowlers in what looks like the late-1860s. The bowler seems all the peak of fashion in the 1880s-90s. We note some in the 1870s, but most of the examples we hve found come from the 1880s-90s. We note in 1890s American mail order catalogs many bowlers appearing in the illustrations, including the illustrtions for boys' clothing. (Do not be confused with the illustrations. Lithography was just beginning to reach modern standards and in the 19th century many of the illistrations of boys make them look like little men.) We are still working on the precise chronology. We note the graduating class at the Boys' High School in 1891. About half the boys have bowlers. Today the bowler has the image as a man's style. In the ;laste-19th century we see boys wearing them and not just teenagers. We also see some younger boys wearing then. The age conventions seem highly flexible. It began as a kind of sporting style and became a popular style for businessmen. The bowler continued to be worn into the 20th century but not by boys.

Usage

In Britain the bowler became identified with butlers and male personal servants as well as professional men (bankers and civil servants). It was more widely worn in America, but without the same class destinctions. And it america twas more commonly called derby. This suggestsn association with horseback rising--at least in the east. It was a hat style that seemed to stand between the formality of the top hat (commonly associated with the wealthy) and casual nature flat soft caps of the the working classes. It was primarily an adult style. Some boys in the late-19th century wore rather adult styles like bowlers. We note some boys after about age 10 wearing bowlers. Families varied in their use of the bowler. Most chose more juvenile headwear styles for boys, but we see some fairly young boys wearing adult-looking bowlers. It seems rather strange today, but apprently was quite accepted at the time.

Age

We note father and teenage sons from an unidentified family wearing bowlers. Thet look to be about 13-16 years old.

Social Class

We are not entirely sure about the social-class conventions involved, especially because most of the photographs we have found are studio portraits. It is a little difficult to follow trends here.

Varition

Hats of course are not identified in period photographs. And often even it catalogs, the different hats are not identified by name. Another problem is that hats were so commonly worn in the 19th and early-20th century that they were offered in large quantities and great variety. Thus we see many hats with varioys sized brims and a variety of rounded crowns. It is not always easy to identify just which of the hats falls within the designation of a bowler hat. Actually rounded crown hats were very popular for boys in the 19th century, but they tended to wear hats with wider brims and lower crown than the bowler. A good example is a New York boy in the 1880s.

Created: 4:43 AM 2/25/2008
Last updated: 12:49 PM 10/11/2016