A Ladies' Day-wear Hairstyle - Short Tutorial

[gpalmer]

I was fiddling around and procrastinating earlier today, and decided I'd document putting up my hair, in case anyone is looking for a period base to build from.  This style is suitable as a day-wear style from the late 1840s to about 1865 (unfashionable women would wear it a bit later), when enormous piles of curls came into vogue.  There is a far better tutorial than I could manage for the latter here: http://costumes.glittersweet.com/historical/1870shair.htm

My hair is a bit beyond waist length, but this style should work for anyone with hair long enough to get into a bun.  It helps if it's a little dirty, or you can use oil or pomade.  Clean hair is less managable and doesn't slick down as well.

Begin by parting your hair in a T-shape.  This is straight down the middle, to the crown of the head, then down to the ear tips.  Push the front hair forward. 

Then pin the back of the hair into a bun.  I braided mine first to give the pins something to hang on to.


The front pieces should then be twisted, brought low over the tops of the ears, wrapped around the bun in back, and pinned.  Mine is a little flat, compared to the 1850s lady below, because I don't have any ratts (stuffed pillows in the same color as my hair) to puff it out.  False hair was extremely common.




Hope that this is of interest
Grace D. Palmer

[The Grand Duchess]

Nice!  My problem is this, though- there are very few photographs of black middle and upper class women from the 19th century (although they did exist).  How did they do their hair?

[gpalmer]

I've found a few photos.  In general, it seems that they tried to go with the prevailing styles.

Here's Frances Harper, poet and suffragist
In probably the early early 1880s (no date on the photo - I'm guessing by dress style)
http://docsouth.unc.edu/southlit/harper/harpefp.jpg
And what looks like the mid 1890s
http://www.africanamericans.com/images2/FrancesEllenWatkins.jpg

An unnamed lady from the 1890s with an inconvenient hat:
http://www.artextbooks.com/images/a11557.jpg

Carrie Williams Clifford:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/92/Carriewilliamsclifford.jpg (1880s?)

Olivia Ward Bush:
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/bush/poems/bush-100.gif

Annie L. Burton
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17864/17864-h/images/image_01.jpg

Most of these women were writers, so to some degree they were bucking convention anyway, but their styles look a lot like the styles seen on white women.  I don't know anything about how they got them that way, unfortunately - ie, if they were ironing or anything similar at this date.

Hope that helps a bit.
Grace D. Palmer

[The Grand Duchess]

I recognize the style- the old 'straightening comb' bit.. I remember it well...  I think I'll simulate it with a wig.

[teawithsteph]

Now I actually have a more interesting question for you.

So far as I have seen many here say that Steampunk runs almost right up to WW2 and definitely WW1.

If so we could almost claim the "Bob" as a period hairstyle as well.

Honestly the hair styles and fashion of 1900-1930ish are much more achievable for me personally than the earlier rigid Victorian. I personally like the un-corsetted look much better especially for myself.

What do some of you other ladies think?

[The Grand Duchess]

I think a bob would be perfect- whether Louise Brooks-style or Clara Bow-style.

[gpalmer]

I think you could definitely pull off a bob.  Amelia Earhart had a great boy cut, for instance, and some of the Rosie the Riveter clothes have a great steampunk feel, too.  Even if they are "out of period."
I just stick to the Victorian end of things because it's more flattering for me.

Grace D. Palmer

[teawithsteph]

Good to know! Thanks for the feedback already.

I actually just had about 7-8 inches cut off my hair this week. It was long but splitting and unraveling on the ends. Currently it is about shoulder length. I don't think I will bob it but knowing that the style will still work for steampunk.

I actually while just using google to search on the great war, came across a bunch of pictures to women railway workers during the war. The outfits and such were pretty cute and much more the kind of thing I would wear. I loved that some of them wore trousers under a long fitted jacket. Very practical and easy to duplicate.