Figure 1.--This cabinet card is undated, but the mount looks like it was taken in the early v1900s, about 1900-05. Note the boys at an unidentified school are wearing Civil War kepis. We do know that vthe studio was Dana in New York City. |
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HBC has begun to acquire some information showing the kinds of garments that have been worn at American military schools. The basic trend was to follow American military uniforms. While this was the general rule, that does not mean that every school had a uniform identical with contemporary American military uniforms. Most schools followed U.S. Army unifoms. West Point was also influential. There was one well-known naval mlitary school. American military uniforms changed over time. The schools often did not change their uniforms immediately when the Army chanhed its uniform. The Civil War was one of the most traumatic event in American history. It strongly affected many aspects of American life. Many military schools adopted Civil War style uniforms nd kept them for years, even after the army made major changes in the uniforms. The Civil War kepi camp was, for example, worn for decades after the War at many schools. Some schools were more prone to asdopt more modern uniforms or were even influenced by changing civilian fashions. Some schools even adopted knee pants which became almost universal for boys around the turn-of-the 20th century. Some schools adopted more showy uniforms than actual Army uniforms.
Military schools have used virtually every type of cap used by the American army. We have note the kepi? (Civil War style cap), the pillbox cap, the campaign cap, and the peaked cap among others. The caps seem to be some of the most obvious uniform changes over time. As many early portraits were taken indoors, however, the boys sometimes were not wearing their caps. The Civil War was one of the most traumatic event in American history. It strongly affected many aspects of American life. Many military schools adopted Civil War style uniforms nd kept them for years, even after the army made major changes in the uniforms. The Civil War kepi camp was, for example, worn for decades after the War at many schools.
The uniforms mostly entailed long pants uniforms, often with stripes. Some late-19th or early-20th century uniforms included kneepants. Some schools were more prone to asdopt more modern uniforms or were even influenced by changing civilian fashions. Some schools even adopted knee pants which became almost universal for boys around the turn-of-the 20th century. I do not think this was very common, but have only limited information at this time. It was quite common for even older American boys to wear kneepants in the 1900s and 1910s. A naval military school in the mid-20th century had white short pants, I believe as a seasonal uniform.
We do not know much about hosiery as the boys mostly had long panyts uniforms. We do note long stockings being worn with the knee pnts uniforms around the turn-of-the 20th century.
We do not know when the scchools first introduced gym uniforms. Presumably it was about the same tiome they were introduced at American secondary schools.
Related Military School Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[Return to the Main U.S. military school unifirm page]
[Return to the Main U.S. military school page]
[Return to the Main military school page]
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