Figure 1.-- Here are the boys' headwear styles offered by Macy's in its Spring-Summer 1940 catalog. Most of the offerings were for girls' headwear. |
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We also notice a 1940 Macy's spring and summer catalog page with headwear and rain coats. Macy's at the time was a large New York department store rather than the huge national chain it is today. The items are mostly for girls, but there are a few items for boys as well. We note rain helmets, Eton (peaked) caps, and roller hats. The Macy's headwear seems more stylish and up-to-date than the Wards' offerings. The Macy's headwear seems more up-scale thn the Ward's headwear. Mixed in with all of the different girls' hats were the three types for boys. We are not sure why there were so many items for girls and so few or boys.
Macy's calls this item an Eton cap, presumably because it was often worn with the junior Eton suits popualr in America. For HBC we commonly refer to the capped as peaked caps or peaked school caps because they were so popular in Britain for school boys. They first appeared in the mod-19th centuy. Unlike Eton collars and Eton suits, however, they were never worn by Eton boys. Macy's offered them in colors to match boys' suits. The cammer hair cap was to match a boys' overcoat. The Macy's ad copy read, "L22J -- Eton Cap of all wool flannel in brown or navy. 6 1/8-6 7/8. (Ship. wt. 1 lb.) 94c. L22J1--SAme in linnen--white or navy---- 94c. L22J2--Same in all cammel's hair. 6 1/4--6 3/4. --- 1.41."
Macy's called this hat a 'roller'. I think this was because the brim could be rolled into different shapes. We note boys wearing wide vrimmed hats with the brim rolled in the late-1900s and 1910s. The photographoc recor suggests it was not subsequenly very common, lthough here we see it in 1940. The brim here is much smaller. We are mot sure yet if the term 'roller' was used when the style first appeared (1900s). This isa style that does not appear very commonly in the pgotographic record. The Macy's ad had copy read, "L22K--ine all-wool feltclassic roller for boys.bNavy or brown. Sizes 19 1/2 to 21 1/2. (Ship wt. 1 lb.) ---- 1.83."
This was a girl's cap based on the style of a boy's Glengary. American boys didn't wear this style to any extent, except with 19th century kilt suit. It was the basis for Eorld Watr II military caops and the new Scout cap introduced we think in 1942.
Macy's offered button-on hats for younger boys and girls. We notice button at the base of the crown, but have no idea what they button-on to. The Macy's ad copy read, "L22M--Button-on hat for brother. Washable white cotton piqué. (Ship wt. 1 lb.) ---- 1.41." A reader tells us, "The brim buttons onto and off of the cap portion so it can be washed. Notice the buttons just above the brim." If I understand this correctly, the thought was that the brim would get dirty befiore the rest of the hat.
Here Macy's pffers a hat as part of arain copat set. The ad copy describes the rain coat, but not the ad. ads
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