Figure 1.--This British boy wears a pillbox cap which looks similar to a Boys Brigade hat. Notice the chin strap. It seems a strange choice for this boy, perhaps his father was involved with the Boys' Brigade. The image is undated or unidentified but from the style of the photo (a cabinet card) I would guess the late 1890s to early 1900s. Click on the image to see his sister (or brother) and mother. Image courtesy of the MD collection.

The pillbox cap seems primarily a uniform cap. Caps based on the uniform caps worn by British soldiers during the mid and late 19th century. Adopted by some Boys' Brigade units. Some boys that were not Brigade members also wore the caps, but we are unsure about the conventions involved. The caps eventually became identified with pages at luxury hotels. There was also a brief period during the 1890s in which they were worn as baseball caps in America instead of the traditional peaked-cap style. This style, however, was never actually worn by American boys. The style of wear sport team clothes did no begin until the 1960s. Mothers in the 1890s had very different ideas about what properly dressed boys should wear. A good review of pill box caps as boys' wear is availble in the British Boys' Uniform Gallery.

Uniform Cap

The pillbox cap seems primarily a uniform cap. We notice a variety of usages as part of a uniform. They were not exclusively worn as partbof uniforms, but this seems to have been the most common usage.

British Army

Caps based on the uniform caps worn by British soldiers during the mid and late 19th century.

Boys' Brigade

The pillbox cap was adopted by some Boys' Brigade units. At the time, it was the uniform cap worn by the British Army. This was the principal usage of this style of cap by boys. The Brigade continued using the pillbox cap decades after it was discontinued by the British Army.

American baseball caps

There was also a brief period during the 1890s in which they were worn as baseball caps in America instead of the traditional peaked-cap style. The style of boys wearing sport team clothes did no begin until the 1960s. Mothers in the 1890s had very different ideas about what properly dressed boys should wear.

Hotel pages

The caps eventually became identified with pages at luxury hotels. Here these were not only English hotels, but hotels all over the world. This usage continued even when the pillbox cap had esentially disappeared for any other usage.

Non-uniform Usage

Some boys that were not Brigade members also wore the caps, but we are unsure about the conventions involved. The boy seen here wears a pillbox cap with a Fauntletoy outfit. That seems rather a strange usage of this cap style. The cap is detailed like a Boys' Brigade cap. Perhaps his father worked with the Boys Brigade. We notice a few portraits of boys wearing these caps other than with uniforms, nut it was not very common.

Country Trends

The pillbox cap was a largely English style of cap. A good exampkle is an unidentified English boys we think in the 1880s. The major exception here was the use of the pillbox cap by hotel pahes around the world. A less important exception was the American baseball cap. The pillbox cap, however, was never actually worn by American boys. A good review of pill box caps as boys' wear is availble in the British Boys' Uniform Gallery.