Late Victorian Hair

WOMEN
- The hair was still off the face, but curls have moved back on the head.
- The middle parting was still used, but women were starting to have fringes which they wore curly.
- They loved hairpieces, and the wealthy women would be able to have them styled for them by a hair stylist.
- The Industrial Revolution saw the rise of the Middle Class which meant that fashions were changing as a result  (Chertsey museum, no date)
- The first curling tongs were patented at the end of the Victorian era by Francois Marcel, which meant that women started waving their hair instead of curling (hence the 'Marcel wave').


The first fashion plate from 'The Englishwoman's Domestic Magazine' in c.1868 shows the fashion for winter bonnets, but also shows the trend for the hair at the time- curls were starting to come into the sections at the front with it being swept up and away from the face.
The second fashion plate is from a French magazine (c.1874), which shows a big difference between the two fashions for hair and bonnets. The hair looks to be a lot more elaborate in the second plate which is mirrored in the elaborate hats also, the curls look to be cascading down the back of the head more.

Birmingham, L. of (2011) Hair and millinery 1827-1874. Available at: http://www.libraryofbirmingham.com/hairstylesandmillinery?nojs (Accessed: 11 February 2016).

Birmingham, L. of (2011) Hair and millinery 1827-1874. Available at: http://www.libraryofbirmingham.com/hairstylesandmillinery?nojs 

(Accessed: 11 February 2016).

MEN
- Mutton chops were very popular with men, they were named due to the shape resembling a mutton chop.
- Side burns were also very popular, named after Major General Ambrose Burnside.
- The Crimean War (1853-1856) influenced men's hair, as it was so cold the soldiers were allowed to grow facial hair, which wasn't allowed previously.

The fashion plate (c.1868) shows different styles of men's hair, ranging from the young to the middle aged. The young men are shown without the facial hair, but they still look very groomed with their hair looking as if it has been put in place by a wax. The elder gentlemen are shown to be sporting the mutton chops along with a moustache, which does look as though it has been shaped so it stays curled. Furthermore the hair looks very similar to the younger men in that it looks to be set with wax, along with a slight wave at the hairline.

Birmingham, L. of (2011) Male fashion plates 1840-1870. Available at: http://www.libraryofbirmingham.com/malefashionplates1840-1870
(Accessed: 11 February 2016).