Viewing images of the world centuries ago and observing portraits of historical figures has lead me to realize that so many men, and even women, used to wear hats — a tradition which has nearly gone extinct.
Sure, many men, myself included, now wear baseball caps at least occasionally, which I suppose is a type of hat, but it doesn’t take the place of traditional hats that had a classy appearance.
So when were hats first used? Let’s look at a brief history of hats.
Hats in Western Europe
Hats have been worn by humans for millennia for various reasons: for protection from the elements, for fashion, as part of a uniform, and — if you consider helmets a type of hat — for protection during battle.
During the middle ages in Europe, hats started to be worn as not only a functional article of clothing, but also as a sign of social status. Even women wore a variety of hats, including hats known as hennins.
By the 1700s, hats whose brims were turned up on three sides, known as tricorns, became quite popular in Europe. Tricorns were not only worn by soldiers, but also civilians.
Hats in America
When English settlers founded the thirteen colonies, they brought with them traditional head coverings. By the time of the Revolutionary War, tricorns were worn by many colonists, and they were even part of the uniform worn by the Continental Army.
The head coverings of the US military adapted and changed over time, and so did the hats worn by civilians.
Many styles of hats have been worn by American men since the colonial era: tricorns, stovepipes hats, coonskin caps, cowboy hats, fedoras, and bowler hats.
Post-WWII Hats
Much of the American tradition of wearing hats seems to have disappeared after the second world war. If you look around, you find that baseball caps are commonly worn, but not many traditional hats are still being worn.
What happened to this longstanding tradition? What caused the disappearance of hats?
What do you think caused hats to fall out of popularity?
Onward American 