Bicorne facts for kids

Early bicorne from France, around 1790

The bicorne is a cool, two-pointed hat. It became very popular in the 1790s. Many army and navy officers in Europe and America wore it. Famous leaders like Napoléon Bonaparte often wore bicornes. This special hat was part of their fancy uniforms for a long time. It was still used for formal events even into the 1900s.

What is a Bicorne Hat?

Napoléon Bonaparte in his famous side-to-side bicorne hat (left); Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz wearing a front-to-back bicorne (right)

The bicorne hat came from an older hat called the tricorne. A tricorne has three points. The first bicornes were black and had a wide brim. The front and back parts were folded up and pinned together. This made a shape like a half-circle. Often, a special badge called a cockade was added to the front. This badge showed the country's colors.

Later, the bicorne became more like a triangle. Its two ends became sharper. People started wearing it with the cockade on the right side. In English, this type of bicorne was often called a cocked hat. But in French, it's still known as the bicorne.

In the 1790s, people usually wore the bicorne sideways. This meant it went from shoulder to shoulder. But after 1800, most armies and navies started wearing it front-to-back. This change happened as the front part of the hat became flatter. Some groups, like the French Gendarmerie, wore their bicornes sideways until about 1904. The Italian Carabinieri still wear them sideways today for their formal uniforms.

Some bicornes were made to fold flat. This made them easy to carry under the arm. A bicorne that can fold flat is also called a chapeau-bras. This means "arm hat" in French.

The Cocked Hat

British Army cocked hat with a general officer's plume, worn by Lord Dannatt

By the 1900s, the name cocked hat was often used in Britain. It described this type of hat, especially for uniforms. But if the hat was worn sideways, it was sometimes still called a bicorn.

The most common cocked hat shape was like a hump-back bridge. It was worn straight out from the shoulders. The front pointed over the face, and the back pointed over the neck. A cockade might be on the right side. A feather plume might be on top, especially for British military hats around 1800.

Cocked hats often had fancy gold or silver trim. Naval officers wore them simply. But hats for military and government officials could be very decorated. They might have colorful ostrich or swan feathers.

Today, the cocked hat is still part of the "Full Dress" uniform. This is for General and Staff Officers in the British Army. Some other officials also wear it. For example, the Major-General commanding the Household Division wears one.

Who Wears Bicornes Today?

The formal uniform of École Polytechnique in France includes a bicorne hat.

A state usher with a federal councillor in Switzerland

A Veterinary Officer of the UK Household Cavalry wearing her special red-plumed cocked hat (2010)

The bicorne hat is still worn for special events by certain groups:

• Members of the Académie française in France wear a special green uniform. This uniform includes a black jacket and a bicorne hat. Both are embroidered with green designs.
• Students at the École Polytechnique in France wear a bicorne as part of their formal uniform. Even female students now wear a bicorne.
• The horsemen of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna wear a bicorne as part of their uniform.
• Some ambassadors still wear bicornes with their formal uniforms. This happens when they present their credentials. These hats often have feathers and gold or silver braids. This tradition is mostly kept by older diplomatic services. These include those from Britain, France, and Sweden.

In the United Kingdom, cocked hats are still worn on special occasions:

• When the King is represented in Parliament, special officials called Lords Commissioners wear plain black bicorne hats.
• At the yearly Trooping the Colour event in London, the Major-General commanding the Household Division wears a red uniform and a cocked hat. It has a swan-feather plume.
• Other senior officers with royal duties also wear cocked hats. Examples include officers of the Royal Hospital Chelsea.
• Some medical and veterinary officers in the British Household Division wear cocked hats. They have different colored feathers to show their role.
• Police Commissioners in London wear cocked hats for formal events.
• Governors of UK overseas territories might wear a cocked hat. It has a white swan-feather plume.

The Italian Carabinieri wear a bicorne with its points sideways. It has a large badge in front with the Italian flag colors. This makes it look like a "lamp," which is its popular nickname.

In Java, Indonesia, a hat like the bicorne is still used. It's part of the parade uniform for the Dhaeng and Ketanggung brigades. These are from the Yogyakarta Sultanate. This hat is called mancungan in Javanese. It looks like a pointed nose. The mancungan hat is only seen on special cultural events. It became popular in Java because of Western influences.

The uniform of a Field marshal in the Imperial Ethiopian Army also included a bicorne. Emperor Haile Selassie wore one in the early 1900s. His bicorne had a special golden lion's mane.

Images for kids

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  French suit from 1790 to 1795 with a bicorne hat.

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  Horatio Nelson with his bicorne hat in 1799.

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  Napoleon Crossing the Alps (1800) by Jacques-Louis David.

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  Napoleon (The Enemy was terrible but God is merciful) by Elisabeth Bohm (1914 or earlier).

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  1813 cartoon showing men with collapsible bicornes tucked under their arms.

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  The Duke of Wellington holding his bicorne hat (1818).

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  Emperor Pedro II of Brazil with a bicorne under his arm, 1837.

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  Sir Edward Seymour in 1911.

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  Marshal Hermes da Fonseca, President of Brazil, wearing a bicorne, 1910.

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  An Italian Carabinieri wearing a bicorne (center), 1944.

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  Rider wearing a bicorne at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, 2006.

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  Military Knights of Windsor wearing cocked hats, 2006.

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  The medical officer of the Light Cavalry, Honourable Artillery Company (UK), 2006.

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  Cocked hat worn by the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, 2009.

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  Royal Footmen at The Hague, Netherlands, in 2010.

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  The Commissioner of the City of London Police, 2012.

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  Anne, Princess Royal, at the Trooping the Colour in 2013.

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  The Major-General commanding the Household Division in London, 2015.

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  The Governor of the Falkland Islands (center) in 2016.

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  Dhaeng Brigade of Yogyakarta Sultanate during a parade, 2018.

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  Cocked hats at the State funeral of Elizabeth II.

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  Heralds in the state procession following the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

See also

In Spanish: Bicornio para niños

• List of hats and headgear
• Cap