Coune, Frédéric Képi. Une coiffure française. Band 1 : 1830-1939

The Képi symbolises the French soldier alone, but in a broader sense it is also the official representation of the military and the civil servant. Its history is treated here in its entirety for the first time. The cap provides a lot of information about its wearer, starting with his unit and rank. Its model and shape can also be used to determine its era. Occasionally, the cap also holds little treasures for the historian: a newspaper clipping, a letter, a dated photo or a name that makes it possible to search for the owner.

This is how one can discover a life full of daily work, a garrison routine, a past full of adventure, sometimes blood and mud, but also heroism and glory. The reader can discover the entire history of the cap, both large and small, from its creation to the present day. This first volume covers all the military képis up to 1939. In the second volume, the reader will find the képis of the army from 1939 to the present day; those of the generals, the Foreign Legion, the health service, the prefects, the police, the fire brigade, the gendarmerie, as well as those of the colonial administration, customs/finance, the prison administration, the judiciary, the eaux-et-forêts, the grandes écoles and finally a large chapter on the manufacture of this French service headgear.