Victorian Hair
Below are a series of collages I made with images of Plates from the 'Fashions in Hair' book by Richard Corson. I have chosen the plates I feel sum up the era well and help to support my information/research I have gathered.
Early Victorian Men (1830-1860)
1830 - 1840 - In this part of the period, hair length was generally short to medium in length and fairly ruffled and messy with waves that were often swept to the side. Side burns / mutton chops were sometimes seen but facial hair in general was minimal.
1840 - 1850 - Hair has increased in length since the 30s and has become more medium to long in length. Hair is generally straight but occasionally some subtle waves. No facial hair was still seen but sometimes alone beards, mustaches or a combination of both was starting to come into fashion.
1850 - 1860 - Hair has become shorter again, usually sitting just below the ears. The hair is usually textured with waves. Facial hair has almost completely gone but side burns or mutton chops are sometimes present.
Late Victorian Men (1860-1900)
1860 - 1870 - Hair is now usually just above the ears and either straight or flicked at the ends. The parting is usually at the side or swept back. Full facial hair is in fashion but also sometimes a beard with a mustache is seen.
1870 - 1880 - Hair is still often short and facial hair has lessened again to no facial hair or a mustache on it's own. Only sometimes a beard is present.
1880 - 1890 - Hair is now even shorter and neat and often straight. Sometimes the hair is long but quite rare. Mustaches, often paired with beards is now in fashion.
Early Victorian Women (1830-1860)
1830 - 1840 - In this early part of the period, the hair is parted down the middle and often has a type of bun using the back section of the hair on the head. The remaining hair from the front section is plaited or made into ringlets from the ears down, leaving the top straight. The length of the hair usually ended around the jawline.
1840 - 1850 - The hair in this part of the period is very similar, only the hair is now longer and often finishes just past the collarbones. Occasionally, remaining hair that is down is plaited and brought back under the ears and the ends incorporated into the bun.
1850 - 1860 - In this part of the period, the front section of the hair is parted down the middle and pulled back over the ears and is often waved. The back section is usually in a spiral twisted bun or rolled back with height.
1860s - Again, the hair is parted down the middle, only this time the front and back halves of the hair flow together rather than separated. The back rolling with height element of the 50s is now heavily used with much more visual complexity; coming in from various angles with various shapes and sizes.
Late Victorian Women (1870-1900)
1870 - 1880 - The hair has evolved even further from the 50s - 60s to now into the 70s. Hair rolls, also known as barrel curls, are used in abundance. The hair is covered in rolls starting from the front of the head coming all the way down to the very back. Occasionally, the hair may be finished off with ringlets falling from the very back.
1880 - 1890 - The fashion of the rolls are still going, only now they are starting to fizzle out subtly, with the rolls being kept to just the back section and front being brought back but waved. Tiny fringes at front of the hair that resemble baby hairs which were often curled are now seen.
1890 - 1900 - The hair is now all brought back in one continuous roll with added height around the head, all meeting in a small bun on the crown or just below. The bun sometimes features small adornments for evening wear.
1900s - The height of the hair leading to the bun has increased dramatically, as has the bun, which is now at the top of the head and styled in various creative ways.
For my final design, I plan to do a type of bun that is seen on the 1890-1900s plates, as the book I have chosen is set in 1897. This is very late Victorian, which is obvious due to it's similarities to the popular bouffant type bun seen in the Edwardian era which came not long after. Therefore, this hairstyle seems like a natural choice for my female character.
Victorian Make-up
King Edward Picture: King Edward. (n.d.). [image] Available at: http://cookit.e2bn.org/historycookbook/22-112-edwardians-and-ww1-Food-facts.html [Accessed 8 Feb. 2016].
In the Victorian era, make-up was something to be ashamed of. As Queen Victoria was in reign, she herself did not wear make-up, nor did she approve of it. During this era, royalty was extremely influential in terms of fashions and opinions, therefore this influenced what the people of the country of that era did. It is said that her son, who later became King Edward after Victoria's death, was highly promiscuous. Victoria blamed this on the influence of actresses and prostitutes, the only women of that time to wear make-up. Therefore, in Victoria's eyes, make-up equaled women of poor reputation. After Victoria's death, with King Edwards leniency, make-up was slowly started to be reintroduced into society.
A pale complexion was the height of fashion during the Victorian era and also suggested that you were not a working woman, and therefore were not in the outdoors long enough to get a tan. Women were supposed to be sweet, respectable and fragile in nature, and a pale skin was supposed to support this ideal. Unlike previous eras, a pale/white complexion was achieved with a non-toxic substance. This substance was Zinc Oxide, which was a white mineral powder. They sometimes even drank vinegar as they felt it helped to prevent a tan.
Due to the secrecy surrounding cosmetics, they would be bought in secret and hidden in their rooms. Rouge was added to their cheeks with what was simply beet juice, which would be applied lightly to give a natural appearance. Eyeshadows were made with lead and antimony sulfide and lipsticks were made with mercuric sulfide - again, these were only applied to enhance features and were not applied in a way that would show they were wearing make-up.
Victorian Woman Picture: Victorian Woman. (2014). [image] Available at: https://uk.pinterest.com/explore/victorian-paintings/ [Accessed 8 Feb. 2016].
As my character is a Victorian Vampire, a lot of these traditional Victorian attributes cross-over with that of a Vampire. Therefore, I shall be ensuring that a very pale complexion and redness of the lips are key features in my design, as well as some subtle eye definition. Thankfully, these features do not interfere with a Vampire concept, therefore I will be able to incorporate them in a way which is historically accurate without reducing the impact of my design.
References for this post:
beautifulwithbrains.com, (2010). Beauty In The Victorian Age. [online] Available at: http://beautifulwithbrains.com/2010/08/06/beauty-in-the-victorian-age/ [Accessed 8 Feb. 2016].
Corson, R. (1965). Fashions in hair. New York: Hastings House.
Corson, R. (1972). Fashions in makeup. New York: Universe Books.
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