What is a Cocked Hat?

A cocked hat is a silk, felt, or plush, brimless, triangular, or two-pointed hat that was fashionable in the 18th century, and lasted roughly 100 years. It appeared in history first as a black, gray, or tan hat with the brim pinned up to create three points – also known as a tricorne. It commonly appears in 17th or 18th century portraits of gentlemen, military officials, or pirates.

This style of hat was popular in England from 1680-1780 because the tipped-up brim allowed the gentry to display their elaborate wig styles. These tricornes were often worn with feathers from exotic birds, braiding, ribbons, embroidery, or military insignia to demonstrate political allegiances, and were worn tilted to one side or another, up or down, depending on the fashion of the day. The hat became a standard part of full-dress navy uniforms around the world from 1790, when the British military adopted them, to the end of World War II. This hat was worn by military during the French and Indian War, and by civilians during the American Revolution. Famous portraits of George Washington and Blackbeard the Pirate show them wearing this distinctive cocked hat.

Generally, the cocked hat evolved into a two-pointed hat with a hump in the middle – also known as a bicorne. The French became known for wearing their cocked hats so that the points angled out to the sides instead of from nose to neck, as was the British navy’s style. Napoleon, for example, is often depicted wearing his signature bicorne.

Some of these cocked hats were designed to be folded flat and tucked away easily. This unique variety was called chapeau-bras. The bicorne cocked hat became a symbol of the American Revolution because it gave colonists a chance to show off their wig-less heads, a physical and symbolic contrast with the British. Quakers also adopted a version of the tricorne, but they kept the brims flared and wide to provide more shade from the sun.

In modern times, the cocked hat generally has vanished from fashion. It generally survives only in the official ceremonial dress of high-ranking ambassadors and of some schools, such as the Spanish Riding School of Vienna. Though once universally popular, the popularity of cocked hats now lives on only in the costume trade for historical re-enactors, where genuine or handmade bicornes and tricornes can be costly and are highly prized costume elements.