Original Item: Only One Available. This is a well-used original U.S. Army Pattern 1912 Officer’s Service Cap dating from the World War I period. Constructed from olive-drab wool with a russet-brown leather visor and decorative chinstrap, it retains its officer’s front cap device, bronze General Service side buttons, and interior leather sweatband. The cap shows substantial service and age wear but remains substantially complete and retains the classic profile associated with American Army officers of the First World War.

The U.S. Army redesigned its service cap immediately before World War I as part of the broader modernization of Army field and service clothing. The resulting Pattern 1912 Service Cap featured a larger, more prominently sloped crown than earlier service caps. The Army’s historical uniform survey specifically describes the pattern as having a russet-brown visor and chinstrap, with the chinstrap secured by small bronze General Service buttons.

This M-1912 peaked visor is constructed in lovely green wool and is in good condition for its age, though there is some staining and moderate wear. The thin brown leather decorative chinstrap is almost complete but has a tear in one of the top straps, so it thankfully looks fine for display. The tarnished brass buttons on the side are the correct early Federal Eagle “general service” buttons. The front insignia is a lovely example of an officer’s cap device. The interior features a lovely leather sweatband which is complete in appearance but has lost the majority of its stitching and is now loose. There is no maker’s mark, but there is a size sticker on the sweatband, which appears to read 7 ¼ but it is very worn so we cannot say for sure.

The combination of the Pattern 1912 sloping service-cap profile, olive-drab wool construction, russet-brown leather visor and chinstrap, bronze General Service side buttons, officer’s cap device, and surviving probable 7¼ size label makes this a strong representative example of U.S. Army officer headgear from the World War I period.