No. 20 of the series "Militaria Austriaca". There is hardly any element of the Austrian uniform before 1918 that has become so much a symbol of an era as the "stiff officer's cap". Following the respective fashion, it took on different shapes, sometimes crumpled or low, sometimes high and stiff like a top hat. It was omnipresent in the streets of the Danube Monarchy, from the imperial capital Vienna to the farthest garrison towns of Galicia or Herzegovina.
Similar caps were worn by state and railway officials as well as members of veterans' associations; they were considered an expression of state authority par excellence. In the times of social upheaval after 1918, this type of cap became the subject of political controversy for this very reason - and experienced a (brief) rebirth in the 1930s, in the sense of a historicising Austrian consciousness as a counter-model to the menacingly burgeoning National Socialism. This richly illustrated study comprehensively presents the uniform and cultural-historical development of the 'stiff officer's cap' in the 19th and 20th centuries and also takes into account the European perspective of this uniform item.
Group
Books (first-hand)
Author
Hinterstoisser, Hermann
Title
Die "steife Offizierskappe". Zur Geschichte eines typisch österreichischen Elements der Uniform
Details
Paperback, contemporary bw and over 250 colour photos. 208 pages.