The Phrygian cap, also known as the liberty cap, has been worn since ancient Greece and symbolizes freedom from oppression. It was worn during the American Revolutionary War and is depicted on national emblems and coins. The cap is typically made of felt, wool, or leather and is conical in shape with a loose top that hangs slightly forward. It has also been seen in pop culture, such as in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and The Smurfs.
The liberty cap, commonly known as the Phrygian cap, is a symbolic head accessory that has been worn since approximately 350 BC, and is still worn in modern times. Phrygian caps, conical in shape and made of a stiff material that bends slightly forward, were first worn by religious figures in ancient Greece. Freed slaves and revolutionaries wore them to symbolize freedom from oppression in Phrygia, what is now known as Turkey, and ever since, the cap has become a symbol of freedom.
During the American Revolutionary War, men wore the liberty cap and placed it on poles to symbolize freedom. The national emblem of France, Marianne, wears a liberty cap. The United States and Latin America even have symbolic limits of freedom represented on coins.
The liberty cap is typically a rimless felt cap that is molded into a cone shape. Similar to the pileus, also worn in ancient Greece, but without a pointed tip, liberty caps are more like long, lank caps that fold forward over the head. Since the liberty cap has historically fitted closely on the head, it is usually made of a fairly unforgiving material, such as felt, wool, or leather. The material should be tight enough to stay on the wearer’s head, but with a loose top that hangs slightly forward. In general, the color of a liberty cap varies: red Phrygian caps are said to specifically represent the revolution, and the caps are traditionally a shade of red when depicted in color.
Phrygian headwear has also been seen in pop culture outlets for decades. People commonly acknowledge that the liberty cap was worn by the seven dwarfs in the 1937 Disney film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. In this movie, the seven dwarfs are miners who live in a cabin in the woods. Phrygian hats are also the standard headgear for the Smurfs, a sitcom turned television show that was popular in the 1980s. The Smurfs all wore white liberty caps with the exception of Papa Smurf, who wore the only red liberty cap. freedom.
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