Big Hair in 18th Century France

In writing Refiner’s Fire, book 6 of my American Patriot Series, I’ve been doing a lot of research on fashion so I can describe my characters’ look accurately. While Jonathan Carleton is temporarily back among the Shawnee in this installment of the story, the woman he loves, Elizabeth Howard, is in France, the ultimate fashion center in the second half of the 18th century. So today let’s take a look at the hairstyles that were de rigeur in that country at that time. In my next post, we’ll take a look at
makeup—another fun topic for us ladies.

What was the ideal of feminine hair in the 18th century? The preference was for wavy or curly hair that was black, brown, or blonde. The latter was especially fashionable while Marie-Antoinette was queen, during the period when Refiner’s Fire is set. Chestnut and strawberry blonde were also popular colors, though bright red hair was unfashionable and was usually dyed a more acceptable color.

Marie Antoinette

We often think of wigs being the height of fashion in the 18th century, but they were primarily worn by men, not women, whose hair was supposed to appear  more “natural.” The tête de mouton (or “sheep’s head”) style shown in the portrait above was most popular in France in the 1750s and early 1760s. Actually, I think it’s adorable!! It featured defined twists of curls that were arranged in rows across the front and top of the head, and generally was powdered.

In the 1760s height began to be added, generally about 1/4 to 1/2 the length of the face and egg shaped. In the mid to late 1770s, during the time of my series, really big hair became all the rage, with a height of 1 to 1 1/2 times the length of the face and styled in a shape that looks pretty much like a hot air balloon, like the example at right. This effect was created using toques—cushions—made of fabric, cork, wool, tow, hemp, cut hair, or wire attached to the top of the head. The natural hair was curled, waved, or frizzed (ratted), pomaded and powdered, and piled over and around the cushion, then ribbons, pearls, jewels, flowers, feathers, ships, birdcages, and other items that evoked a theme were added. Below is a fun video that will give you some idea of how these hairstyles were created. These elaborate creations could be worn for days or weeks at a time. Imagine dancing, walking around, or even going to bed with that on your head!

Obviously professional hairdressers—coiffeurs—became a necessity if one was to achieve just the right look. It must have taken hours just to have your hair styled, makeup applied, and clothing put on. But the toilette, or dressing, had an important function for women of the royal, aristocratic, and even high-level bourgeois classes in France. It was a daily ceremony performed in front of privileged persons, with the lever being the men’s equivalent.

Then there’s the matter of hair powder. White wigs originally became popular among the higher classes because they were expensive and rare. Originally used primarily as a degreaser, white hair powder began to be used to color both wigs and natural hair since it caused less damage than dyes. The powder was made from a variety of materials, with the poorest quality being corn or wheat flour, and the highest finely milled starch filtered through a sieve. Generally it was white, but it also came in brown, grey, orange, pink, red, blue, and violet, all colors that would be equally at home on heads today. Keep in mind that when white powder is applied to dark hair, it results in shades ranging from light to dark grey, not the bright white of the costume wigs you see in films. And when it’s applied to very light hair, it produces a brighter blonde effect. As shown at left, the person was covered with a cone-shape face mask and a fabric smock, and the powder was applied to the hair or wig with a bellows. A puff was used for touchups, and a knife for removal—how that was done, I have no idea!

Well, hasn’t this been interesting! Wouldn’t you just love to go through a dressing ceremony every day in front of an audience? Or are you grateful that we don’t live in that day and age? Please share your thoughts!

~~~

J. M. Hochstetler is the daughter of Mennonite farmers and a lifelong student of history. She is also an author, editor, and publisher. Her American Patriot Series is the only comprehensive historical fiction series on the American Revolution. Northkill, Book 1 of the Northkill Amish Series coauthored with Bob Hostetler, won Foreword Magazine’s 2014 Indie Book of the Year Bronze Award for historical fiction. Book 2, The Return, received the 2017 Interviews and Reviews Silver Award for Historical Fiction and was named one of Shelf Unbound’s 2018 Notable Indie Books. One Holy Night, a contemporary retelling of the Christmas story, was the Christian Small Publishers 2009 Book of the Year and a finalist in the Carol Award.