Popular Nineteenth-Century Hairstyles for Women
Period Styles for Long and Short Hair From the 1800s
Jul 12, 2009
Any 1800s hairstyle must be evaluated in the context of hats, bonnets, bandeaux and caps – many hairstyles were chosen to complement specific types of headgear, and vice versa. Bulk was important for Georgian and Victorian hairstyles, as abundant hair was considered a sign of beauty; as a result, many period hairstyles are impossible to replicate without using hair rats or false hair. The latter was often in the form of braids or curls, which could be added to an updo to give the illusion of bounteous hair.
“Pride and Prejudice” Curls
Although Jane Austen’s novel was set very late in the 1700s, the hairstyles from the BBC adaptation are appropriate for the early 19th century as well. A variation on the Queen Victoria look, this style emphasises the width of the face. The hair is centre-parted and worn in bunches of ringlets at the temples, while the back hair is worn in some kind of chignon at the crown of the head. In the BBC miniseries Jane sometimes accented her chignon with a braid, while Charlotte wore a snood and Elizabeth decorated her bun with pearls and flowers. The back hair was often concealed under a bonnet.
Short Neo-Classical Hairstyles
Women who wish to re-enact 19th-century styles with short hair need not resort to wigs – short, tousled curls were popular during the early part of the century as part of a neo-classical aesthetic. Curled hair was brushed upwards towards the crown and worn in a tousled style, sometimes accentuated with a bandeau. This style can be seen in the 1996 film version of Jane Austen’s Emma, worn by Emma herself (Gwyneth Paltrow) and a number of other characters.
Queen Victoria Hairstyle
From the late 1830s to the mid 1860s women commonly wore their hair parted in the centre, looped or draped in front of the ears and neatly bunned into a low chignon at the nape. This style was modest and neat, emphasising the width rather than height of the face, and was often worn with a lace cap. Queen Victoria and Melanie Wilkes (in the 1939 Gone With the Wind film adaptation) both wore this iconically demure hairstyle.
A variation on the theme was to add a real or false braid across the top of the head, just visible in front of the cap or hat brim.
1870s Ball and Evening Curls
In the 1870s women wore ringlets at a ball. The hair was curled and arranged at the crown, with longer ringlets falling down the nape of the neck; often false curls would be added to the updo to increase its bulk. The front hair could be pulled straight back, parted in the centre or worn as short curled bangs.
1870s Daytime Hair Styles
Curls or chignons on the crown of the head were typical 1870s hairstyles. Variations on the theme included centre-parted, banged or puffed-up front hair (the latter style achieved with hair rats) and spiral curls, rope braids, twists or knotted buns for the back hair. Some hats were worn tilted forward to expose the mass of hair on the crown of the head; other styles of hat were worn over the hair, in which case women often left a few curls or twists of hair falling down the nape of the neck. Where bangs were worn, they were very short and curly.
Pre-Raphaelite Hairstyles
The Pre-Raphaelite interpretation of medieval beauty consisted of loose, flowing curly hair with heavy frizzed bangs. The frizzed look can be achieved by curling the fringe and then teasing the curls out. Alternatively, hair without bangs can be parted in the centre and partially tucked behind the ears. The aesthetic dress movement was influenced by Pre-Raphaelite hairstyles as well as clothing. Some paintings show women with a loose single braid.
“Cottage Loaf” Gibson Girl Updo
The Gibson Girl hairstyle of the 1890s required hair rats to achieve the desired fullness. The hair was combed back over rats or pads, then secured in a small knot on the crown. The resulting full hairstyle was affectionately referred to as a “cottage loaf”. The Megan Follows adaptation of Anne of Green Gables (set a little later in the early 1900s) provides many examples of Gibson Girl hairstyles.
 |
 |
 |
 |
