Recently I went to a haircut appointment, something I have not done in over a year. When the ends of my hair started to reach the top of the small of my back, I figured it was probably time to clean things up a bit. And since I was going to most likely cut off about five inches to start with, I figured I could sacrifice the few extra inches needed for a hair donation's minimum requirement. I took the plunge and had my cousin, who is a hairstylist, chop off my golden fine locks, which ended up being close to a foot in length when all was said and done.
Unlike the 21st century woman, Victorian era women rarely cut their hair. I have read about mothers keeping their daughters' hair at shoulder length up until they would reach the age of twelve or thirteen, after which the girls would let their hair grow for the rest of their lives for the most part. On rare occasion, a woman would cut her hair but usually only if she were sick, entering the convent, or in need of money. Hair from convents and women desperate to earn coin was then turned into false hair pieces for purchase. So in the same fashion as the 21st century woman, wearing fake hair was not something out of the ordinary.
When you look at old photographs and tintypes from the Victorian era, try to keep any feelings of jealousy or envy over the copious amounts of hair in check because it is very likely that the woman with a ridiculously large coiffure is actually wearing a false hairpiece or a padded hair device. Hair switches came in many styles and colors, and a very stylish woman could blend these pieces into her own locks so as to make it look natural, while others were not as successful.
Any woman could stay up on the latest trends by reading the women's domestic magazines of the day, such as Godey's Lady's Book, Harper's Magazine, and The Metropolitan Monthly (later known as The Delineator). As a result, even a woman living in remote, rural areas would have knowledge of the up and coming fashion trends, which she could happily copy to the best of her abilities. While clothing in rural areas may sometimes have been seen as not up to date on the latest fashion plates by some, hair was a commodity that could easily be adapted to the latest styles and trends so as to not look too old-fashioned.
When you look at old photographs and tintypes from the Victorian era, try to keep any feelings of jealousy or envy over the copious amounts of hair in check because it is very likely that the woman with a ridiculously large coiffure is actually wearing a false hairpiece or a padded hair device. Hair switches came in many styles and colors, and a very stylish woman could blend these pieces into her own locks so as to make it look natural, while others were not as successful.
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| An obvious false hair piece as the woman's hair is blonde while the wig is darker. |
Any woman could stay up on the latest trends by reading the women's domestic magazines of the day, such as Godey's Lady's Book, Harper's Magazine, and The Metropolitan Monthly (later known as The Delineator). As a result, even a woman living in remote, rural areas would have knowledge of the up and coming fashion trends, which she could happily copy to the best of her abilities. While clothing in rural areas may sometimes have been seen as not up to date on the latest fashion plates by some, hair was a commodity that could easily be adapted to the latest styles and trends so as to not look too old-fashioned.
