Early Victorian Hairstyles & Adornments

Throughout Queen Victoria's reign, the styles of women's hair varied a lot through several decades. 'Women hairstyle was, at the times of the Napoleonic Empire, which coincided with the Georgian and the Regency in Great Britain, the first decade of the century, a neo-classic style inspired in Ancient Greece hairstyles. This style was characterized by using curls on the forehead and above the ears, and the hair held with a knot or a chignon at the back of the neck.' (Briand 2007). As demonstrated in the photos and paintings, the hair was often flat on top and usually parted in the centre. It would be drawn back smoothly into a knot or a bun. One of the popular trends was to curl the front section of the hair into side curls or ringlets. Another arrangement of the hair would be to draw the hair from the front into smooth loops or braids down the sides of the cheeks and under the ears. (Courtais 2006).


Victorian hair was also very long. Haircuts were not a trend and it was seen to be very feminine to have long, desirable hair. This long hair would be worn in updo's, especially by the upper class, as neatness and cleanliness were important at the time. Hairstyles tended to reflect the styles of dresses of the time, with the entire silhouette of the woman being taken into account. (Harris 2015)

Caps

There was a huge trend and variety of headdresses and caps throughout the Victorian age. 'A popular style during this period, especially for morning wear was the fanchon or kerchief cap which had been first introduced in 1837. It consisted of a piece of material resting on the top of the head with one point worn towards the front, and with bows and streamers behind or lappets on either side'. This style is demonstrated in the image from Woman's Headdresses and Hairstyles in fig. 251. 

As this style is reflected in the early part of the era (1840's) it would be an interesting style to incorporate into my character design for Miss Havisham. As the book is set early on in the Victorian era, and she is in her 50's at this point, she would be stuck in the style of this time following her bereavement. She would also have a similar hairstyle to the images shown above. Most interestingly for me as a designer, I feel before her loss she would've looked a lot like the painted woman in a large gown (the image above on its own). It reflects wealth and beauty, aspects Miss Havisham would've encapsulated in her early life as a young, upper class woman. Since her life has been frozen in time, I would like to focus on this era of style to use and reflect on her past. I would also like to make an adornment like a cap to use into my final images to add to her character and the historical accuracy.

Men's Style
During the Crimean War, a craze for beards had erupted. Having a beard was a sign of a war hero and in the early 19th century men were 'cultivating enormous whiskers that connected to huge, bushy beards and left just about enough space between them and the ever-expanding moustache to allow the owner to eat and speak.' (Hawksley 2014).  Prince Albert was an exception to the trend as he refused to conform but in Victorian Britain it was almost impossible to find a beard-free face.

References

• Gustavo Briand. 2007. ‘The Hair at the Nineteenth Century’ [8^th February] Available from: http://thehistoryofthehairsworld.com/hair_19th_century.html
• Lucinda Hawksley. 2014. 'The Great Victorian Beard Craze' [9th February] Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-30037914 
• Kathleen Harris. 2015. ‘Victorian Hairstyles, A Short History’ [8^th February] Available from: http://www.whizzpast.com/victorian-hairstyles-a-short-history-in-photos/
• Georgine De Courtais. 2006. Women’s Headdress and Hairstyles. USA – Dover Publications INC (page 116)