Design of the baseball cap

(photo: Scott Ableman/Flickr)

Lifelong baseball fan and graphic designer Steven Heller looks at the quintessentially American piece of headgear -- the baseball cap.

They were 19th century ideas, and they were easy to make.  So, you could just take a few pieces, sew them together, put a little button on top, put a visor in, and it was a very simple hat.  

But, the first time it was used, purportedly, was for American baseball.  It is very utilitarian, because there is a visor, but it is not a hat that, if you are throwing your arms around or batting or throwing a ball, you'll get caught on the brim.  

It wasn't until the 1920s that the hats became available to people outside of the sport.

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