French Foreign Legion Cap Kepi Hat.

French Foreign Legion Cap Kepi Hat.

Marked on the visor button::  LEGION FRANCAISE

Market inside : SCECAM  BERNAY ( manufacturer ) 57 ( size )

France 1950s

The kepi (French *képi*) is a low flat-topped cylindrical military cap with a short visor, introduced by the French military in the 1840s and adopted extensively across European and American militaries through the mid- and late-19th century. The French kepi replaced taller and more elaborate predecessors (shakos and forage caps) with a more compact, mobile-friendly profile while retaining space for branch and rank insignia. The kepi saw heavy use during the American Civil War (1861–1865), where Union Army forage caps and officers' kepis appeared across thousands of surviving photographs and became inseparable from the Civil War's visual identity. The French military retained the kepi as standard officer headwear through the 20th century; the **kepi blanc** (white kepi) of the French Foreign Legion remains among the most distinctive military hats in contemporary service.

By 1907 the Kepi was made from khaki material and was then generally worn by all the troops involved in the conquest and pacification of Morocco.