Original French WWI Model 1886 Pharmaceutical Corps Officer Private Purchase Kepi Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. The kepi is a cap with a flat circular top and a peak, or visor. In English, the term is a loanword of French: képi, itself a re-spelled version of the Alemannic German: Käppi, a diminutive form of Kappe, meaning “cap”. In Europe, this headgear is most commonly associated with French military and police uniforms, though versions of it were widely worn by other armies during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In North America, it is usually associated with the American Civil War, as it was worn by soldiers on both sides of the conflict.

The kepi was formerly the most common headgear in the French Army. Its predecessor originally appeared during the 1830s, in the course of the initial stages of the occupation of Algeria, as a series of various lightweight cane-framed cloth undress caps called casquette d’Afrique. These were intended as alternatives to the heavier, cloth-covered leather French Army shako. As a light and comfortable headdress, it was adopted by the metropolitan (French mainland) infantry regiments for service and daily wear, with the less practical shako being relegated to parade use. In 1852, a new soft cloth cap was introduced for campaign and off-duty. Called bonnet de police à visière, this was the first proper model of the kepi. The visor was generally squarish in shape and oversized and was referred to as bec de canard (duck bill). This kepi had no chinstrap (jugulaire). Subsequent designs reduced the size of the cap and introduced chinstraps and buttons. The kepi became well known outside France during the Crimean War and was subsequently adopted in various forms by a number of other armies (including the U.S. and Russian) during the 1860s and 1870s.

In 1870, when troops were mobilized for the Franco-Prussian War, large numbers of French soldiers either refused to wear the issued shakos or threw them away. Emperor Napoléon III abolished the infantry shako for active service and replaced it with the kepi on 30 July 1870.

In 1876, a new model appeared with a rounded visor, as the squared visor drooped when wet and curled when drying. The model used in World War I was the 1886 pattern, which was a fuller shape incorporating air vents. Described as “an ideal headdress – which was cheap, distinctive and easy to produce”, the M1886 kepi’s only significant drawback was that the sunken crown collected rain.

This M1886 Kepi features a green band, red crown and gold top braid and no vent holes, an indication as an Officer’s Kepi from the Pharmaceutical Corps, which is known today as the French Defense Health Service. The French Defense Central Health Service (“Service de Santé des Armées” or SSA) is responsible for medical and sanitary support of the French military and of all institutions placed under the authority of the French Ministry of Defense. It is a joint service, and its central administration (Direction Centrale du Service de Santé des Armées, DCSSA) is under the direct control of the Chief of the defense staff (chef d’état-major des armées (CEMA)).

Its significant presence on French territory ensures adequate support for French operations in overseas theaters. It provides hospital care services, administers medicals for military personnel, and gives expertise in disease prevention, and medical, dental, pharmaceutical, paramedical and veterinary research and education.

The condition of the Kepi is in a well worn state. There is heavy mothing to the green band and a few areas on the crown. The visor is partially detached and is mostly held in place by the internal leather sweatband. The interior silk like lining is in surprisingly good condition with minor wear present. The top manufacturer label is almost completely faded away and is hard to read. The black leather sweatband is complete and intact, but does show sign of wear and cracking in the finish.

This is an example of an extremely hard to find Kepi model for the Pharmaceutical Corps, a small entity in the French Armed Forces.

Comes more than ready for further research and display!