Oxford cap, square cap

Black graduation mortarboard in size seven and a quarter. The cap is attached to a square board with a raised circle in the centre, to which is attached a tassel.

The mortarboard has a skull cap under the board which fits tight to the head. It is worn during university graduation ceremonies all around the world. It is believed to have been developed at Oxford and Cambridge universities over 600 years ago. Schoolteachers in Western countries regularly wore mortarboards until the middle of the 20th century to show their authority. A more modern tradition is throwing these hats in the air at the end of a unviersity graduation ceremony.

object
MUSEUM NUMBER
HC.2002.90
COLLECTION
MEASUREMENTS
overall: 1.063 x 9.4882 x 9.5669 in.; 27 x 241 x 243 mm
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE
felt, textile, plastic
CATEGORY
Education Handling Collection: Anthropology
LOCATION
In storage
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Collection Information

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