Figure 1.--This CDV portrait shows a unidentified boy wearing what we believe to be a peaked cap as part of his school uniform. Notice how it matches the suit jacket. Unfortunately the only informatiomn ob the CDV is the identity of the photogephic studio: Alfred Cox in Nottingham. Now in America a CDV portrait usully means the 1860s or 70s. In Britain the CDV remained a popular format into the early-20th century. Thus we are not sure how to date in. We might hav said it was taken in the 1880s. The browinish-grey color of the mount, however, is a color more associated with the tutn-of-the 20th century.

We do not have details about when the school cap first appeared. We first notice them in the mid-19th century. And with the exopolsion in popularity of the CDV (1860s) we begin to see photographic evidence. They were were definitely being worn by the 1870s and fairly common by the 1880s. Virtually every English school boy was wearing them by the 1890s. School caps were once a familiar sight in England (and the rest of Britain). Their heyday was in the first half or so of the 20th century. These caps in a wide variety of colors and designs through the 1950s were a common sight on British streets as the boys went to and from school. Nowadays the traditional school cap is seen far less often. During the 1960s many schools where they had previously been compulsory now made them optional. Where this happened, and at schools where they had never been compulsory, boys came to wear them less and less, to the point where so few were being purchased by parents that school outfitters no longer considered it worthwhile to stock them and they disappeared altogether. A small number of schools, mostly independent and mostly for younger boys (preparatory schools in the British sense of the term), have gone against this general trend and still require pupils to wear them. A HBC reader reports, "I visited England this October, 2002 and saw a store in a South London suburb which carried school uniforms. I went into the store to look around and was told by the sales lady that there were still quite a few prep schools requiring traditional caps with their uniforms. They were on display in the window. Most of the caps matched the blazers. The average cost of the caps was 15 Pounds Sterling. Secondary schools no longer have these caps, but quite a few prep schools still do." A Canadian reader tells us, "I visited England in 2002 and had a look around a school uniform shop in South London and there were uniforms from various private schools on sale there. They all included the traditional English peaked cap with the school crest on the front. So, many British private schools still have them. The caps were quite expensive, as were the uniforms." HBC believes that in the 2000s caps were mostly worn at pre-prep schools. They were also worn for cricket and school colors at some schools bu older boys.

The 19th Century

We do not have details about when the school cap first appeared. We first notice them in the mid-19th centuries the private (public,mean elire boarding dchools) schools. We think that they began as a games (sports) uniform item. The grammar schools followed the uniform and other trends at the public schools. There is, however, only limoted pgotograohic ecidence (1850s). With the explosion in popularity of the CDV (1860s) we begin to see more photographic evidence. They were were definitely being worn by the 1870s and fairly common by the 1880s. Virtually every English school boy was wearing them by the 1890s. Here there was an age factor. This varied from scjool to school. All the younger boys werewearing them. But not all the senior boys. We see boys wearing other caps, but by the late-19th century this was the exlusive cap worn at private schools. It was the domimnat cap worn to state schools, but not the only cap style. The xtate scgools did not have unifiorms, but the school caos wre very commonn. What is not entirely clear about 19th century portraits is if a boy is wearing a school cap with a uniform or with his regular clothes. This is clear when we have group school portraits, but not when we only have individual portraits.

The 20th Century

School caps were once a familiar sight in England (and the rest of Britain). Their heyday was in the first half or so of the 20th century. These caps in a wide variety of colors and designs through the 1950s were a common sight on British streets as the boys went to and from school. Nowadays the traditional school cap is seen far less often. During the 1960s many schools where they had previously been compulsory now made them optional. Where this happened, and at schools where they had never been compulsory, boys came to wear them less and less, to the point where so few were being purchased by parents that school outfitters no longer considered it worthwhile to stock them and they disappeared altogether. A small number of schools, mostly independent and mostly for younger boys (preparatory schools in the British sense of the term), have gone against this general trend and still require pupils to wear them. A HBC reader reports, "I visited England this October, 2002 and saw a store in a South London suburb which carried school uniforms. I went into the store to look around and was told by the sales lady that there were still quite a few prep schools requiring traditional caps with their uniforms. They were on display in the window. Most of the caps matched the blazers. The average cost of the caps was 15 Pounds Sterling. Secondary schools no longer have these caps, but quite a few prep schools still do." A Canadian reader tells us, "I visited England in 2002 and had a look around a school uniform shop in South London and there were uniforms from various private schools on sale there. They all included the traditional English peaked cap with the school crest on the front. So, many British private schools still have them. The caps were quite expensive, as were the uniforms." HBC believes that in the 2000s caps were mostly worn at pre-prep schools. They were also worn for cricket and school colors at some schools bu older boys.

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Created: February 29, 2004
Last updated: 1:28 AM 1/11/2022