Bicorne
The bicorne or bicorn (two-cornered) is a historical form of hat widely adopted in the 1790s as an item of uniform by European and American army and naval officers. Most generals and staff officers of the Napoleonic period wore bicornes, which survived as widely-worn full-dress headdress until the 20th century.
For the mythical beast, see Bicorn and Chichevache. For the geometric curve, see Bicorn.
Members of the Académie française wear the habit vert (green habit) at the Académie's ceremonies. The habit includes a black jacket and a bicorne in the cocked-hat style, each embroidered in green.
Students at the École Polytechnique wear a bicorne as part of their Grand Uniforme (GU). Female students used to wear a tricorne hat but now also wear a bicorne. The bicorne also formed part of the historic black and red full dress of cadets at the French Military Medical School (École de Santé des Armées) until this uniform was withdrawn in 1971, except for limited use on special occasions. The bicorne is still worn by the members of the Cadre Noir in full dress uniform.
The uniform of the horsemen of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna includes a bicorne.
Diplomatic uniforms, worn on such occasions as the presentation of credentials by ambassadors, normally included bicornes worn with feathers and gold or silver braiding. Until World War II such uniforms were worn by even junior embassy staff but now survive only for ambassadors in a few long-established diplomatic services such as those of Britain, France, Sweden, Belgium and Spain.
In the United Kingdom cocked hats continue to be worn by certain office-holders on special occasions:
In the Knights of Columbus, Fourth Degree Knights of the Color Corps wore regalia which included a chivalric chapeau. The color of the plume denoted the office held by the wearer. A new uniform with a beret replacing the cocked hat was announced in 2017 and the old uniform gradually phased out over the following several years.
The Italian Carabinieri wear a bicorn with points sideways with their full dress uniform. The large tricolor cockade in front has given it the popular name of la "lucerna", the "lamp".
In Java, cocked hat is still used as a part of Dhaeng and Ketanggung brigades' parade uniform from the Yogyakarta Sultanate. Since the end of the Java War, and as a result of some drastic reductions in the period before and after the war, they no longer have combat capability as a fighting troops in general. Known in Javanese as mancungan hat, because of its shape like a pointed nose, mancung, the mancungan only appears on special occasions, such as Grebeg and other cultural or ceremonial events held by the kraton (palace). The headgear came as a part of Western influence in Yogyakarta during the reign of Sultan Hamengkubuwana IV.
The uniform of a Field marshal of the Imperial Ethiopian Army, which was used during the early 20th century by Emperor Haile Selassie, had a Bicorne which was specially adorned with a golden lion's mane.[5]
French suit from 1790 to 1795 with a bicorne hat.
1813 cartoon showing men with collapsible bicornes tucked under their arms.
An Italian Carabinieri wearing bicorne (centre), alongside American (left) and British (right) military policemen, 1944.
Light Cavalry, Honourable Artillery Company (UK): the medical officer wears a cocked hat in place of the usual busby, 2006.
The Major-General commanding the Household Division at the State Opening of Parliament in London, 2015.
Cocked hats at the State funeral of Elizabeth II: (l-r) an Equerry, an officer of the Yeomen of the Guard and the Quartermaster of the Irish Guards.
Heralds in the state procession following the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
