I can’t help it – my love for hairstyles and facial hair in photographs has me contemplating writing another volume of my Fashionable Folks: Hairstyles 1840-1900 book! These photos provide insight into your ancestor’s fashion sense and personality; so this week, I am sharing three from my growing collection of purchased images featuring women with long tresses or men sporting beards.
In this 1860s carte de visite, a middle aged woman is wearing her hair in the style of her youth; during the 1840s and early 1850s women often wore their locks looped over their ears for added style. Both her attire and hair style are considered conservative choices.
One of my colleagues who is also a Civil War reenactor is currently searching for pictures of Civil War-era women with gray hair to compare with our modern reality; was hair dye available back then or just an effect of modern living? A fashion historian told me that eating seafood prevented people from getting greyer faster – interesting.
Here is a fashionable lady from the 1880s with her stylish oiled curls and large bow. Her hair has been meticulously coiffed.
I love this combination of 1870s style with some retro flair. His beard style from a nineteenth century beard chart is called “Burnside, short.” Full Burnside featured much longer sideburns. What really stands out on this man’s hairstyle is the wave on top.
