Victorian Hairstyle Research

'Women's Headdress and Hairstyles in England from AD600 to the present day By Georgine de Courtais'


Early Victorian 1837-1860 

Fashion and hairstyles:
Throughout the whole of the nineteenth century women's costume showed rapid changes of style, butAgnes Sorel or a la Clothilde was introduced in the early 30's but did not appear to be popular until some years later. During the mid 40's braids were frequently adopted, either at the back of the head or in various coronet arrangements over the top. For evening wear feathers, flowers, lace, artificial grapes ect were arranged in the hair. Long hair became more and more admired and quantities of hair began to be imported from abroad in order that women might supplement their own. During the 50's ringlets became less usual but braids continued to be worn and hair was plaited in a various of ways. About 1854 a lightly waved effect for the front hair became fashionable, towards the end of the decade there was a gradual shift of interest to the back of the head, few of the designs were truly original, most of them being based on ideas from the past. The early Victorian woman was looked upon with sentimentality as elegant and refined, modest and virtuous. The element of sexual attraction was also evident in the close-fitting bodices and tiny waist and for the evening wear the very low necklines revealing the shoulders. The straw bonnet, formerly worn only by ladies of fashion, was now within reach of all classes. The beginning of Queen Victoria's reign hairstyles had undergone an almost complete transformation from those of the early 1830's. The hair was flat on top and usually parted in the centre and drawn smoothly back to a knot or bun which was sometimes as high as the crown but usually lower. Side interests was still shown in various ways, one of the most popular being the arrangement of the side curls or long ringlets. Another method of arrangement was to make a central parting in the front of the hair only and to draw the two strands in smooth loops or in one or more braids down the side of the cheeks and under the ears. This style was known as


Caps, Bonnets and Hats:
A great variety of caps and headdresses was worn during the Victorian era and especially during the early and mid periods. The tendency was for nearly every woman to wear a cap suited to the occasion. They were mostly quite plain however changed slightly between 1835-1870.The size of the night cap tended to become smaller as the period progressed. Occasionally a heavier material such as satin might be used but lighter fabrics were more usual. Bows and hanging lappets were popular on the cap. Cap styles tended to follow those of the bonnet, in the 1830s they had been worn high at the back of the head with round cauls and wide frills framing the face, later this was arranged at the sides of the head covering the ears. During the early years of the period turban style headdresses were still worn for the evening or older women. By the late 50s younger fashionable women had ceased to wear caps. The bonnet was the most characteristic form of feminine headwear in the 19th century. During the late 30s the capote bonnet was almost universally worn, but the brim was becoming smaller and more circular in shape whilst the high crown was now no longer needed to accommodate an elaborate hairstyle.

During the last years of the decade the brim of the bonnet came forward onto the forehead, but curved back on either side. All bonnets were tied beneath the chin with broad ribbons and a curtain hanging from the back. At the beginning of the reign hats were quite out of fashion, the bonnet being considered the only proper outdoor headwear for any lady. Throughout the whole of this period hats appeared only in the garden or on the most informal occasion. As might be expected they were made of straw and were usually low crowned with wide brims sweeping into upwards curves on either side. From about 1857 hats became fashionable for younger women, but still only informal wear. Theses were often bound with ribbon and hanging from each side and other fabrics were beginning to be used. Another hat which appeared about 1860 and became extremely popular was the small round pork pie style and was worn tilted slightly forwards.

Mid-Victorians 1860-1880


Hairstyles:

The movement of interest from the side to the back of the head, apparent in the hair arrangement of the late 1850's, was firmly established by the 60's. Usually parted in the centre and drawn back smoothly, the hair was plaited or coiled into a large roll known as a chignon, which was first set low on the nape of the neck and often confined in a net. Before long it became fashionable for the chignons to be very large, and the increasing size and variety of styles often used artificial hair made up professionally. Waved hair had been highly fashionable for some years, dark hair was considered desirable and false hair from France and Italy was therefore sought after and those with fair hair were given advice on dying it with recipes such as solutions of permanganate of potash. Towards the middle of the decade the hair began to be dressed higher on the head. Coils, braids. switches, curls, water falls and false pieces of every description were now being used. False ringlets cascaded from the crown of the head or were attached singly to one side of the coiffure and lay over the shoulder. Garlands and flowers became popular and flowers would be placed on top of the head or long trailing prays were mixed with the hair or curled down one side. About 1867 golden and light tinted hair began to be favoured, German hair, being lighter in colour, was the most valuable and the wholesale price varied from 30-60 shilling a pound. Drooping chignons formed of large torsades or loose coild of hair were still being worn during the 70's, hair sometimes was dressed with wave or frizzles over the forehead whilst the back in plaits or large rolls

Caps, Bonnets and Hats:
Caps were still popular during this time and were similar to the bonnets being worn. For informal wear the low heavy chignon of hair was often enclosed in a bag-like net. In the late 60's as the hair was dressed higher caps changed in style and became flat circles, squares or triangles of net or lace lying across the top of the head. In the 70's a popular style for morning wears was known as the Charlotte Corday. This cap had a round soft crown with lappets or falls of materials down the back and trimmings of ribbon and flowers. After 1880 the wearing of dress caps was confined to women past middle age and for younger women gradually ceased to exist. In the early 60;s the bonnet was still very popular. The fashionable style had a brim curving high above the forehead, the inside was filled with lace and flowers. Materials were used similar to those used in the previous period and trimmings were still elaborate. Although the 20-year -long universal reign of the bonnet was coming to an end it was worn in a variety until the end of the Victorian era. From 1873 the bonnets were large enough to cover the high chignon and were worn with a slightly backward tilt. By the end of this period a more defined bonnet form with brimless back and wide ribbon ties had made its appearance. Although hats were not considered sufficiently respectable for church wear and very formal occasions they were gradually taking the place of the bonnets, at least for younger women. In the early 70's the high-crowed hats with brims turned up at one side or at the back were particularity fashionable and in fact high this style was still being used towards the end of the decade and these developed into most fashionable hats of the 80's.

The Late Victorian Period 1880-1901

In the 1880's the fashionable woman was till extravagantly dressed and loaded with trimmings, her appearance reflecting the social and economic changes of the period. Styles requiring large quantities of hair continued to be fashionable throughout the 80's, the main mass being arranged in a large knot on the top or towards the back of the head and held in a place with large ornamental hairpins or decorative combs. During the earlier years a fringe either plain or consisting of small curls, was often worn low on the forehead. The general effect at this time was slight fluffiness, with soft waves at the sides of the head. During the first few years of this period there was a little noticable change in the general style of hats and bonnets and the manner in which they were worn (position). In 1884, however, a new style of hat appeared which was to remain fashionable for several years and was especially characteristic of the 1880's. The former ribbon ties fixed well to the back which were dicarded during the late 80's however reappeared narrower in the 90's and the bonnets became extremely small by this time. Throughout the 90's the shapes and sizes of hats varied tremendously. Hats of the 'Sailor' type became extremley popular during the late 1880's, not only for summer sports but for general wear aswell. During the late 80's and early 90's a style with the brim wider in front was fashionable.