JPK Huson 1863
Brev. Brig. Gen'l
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2012
- Location
- Central Pennsylvania
There's a reason we fall into nostalgic raptures over images where belles floated to balls and rose-bedecked young women blushed. They're just so gosh darn pretty. Unabashedly pretty and were 150 years ago. Like this image, most were representative of a desire to express something. Not politics, a nation torn to shreds or the plight of millions - guessing we girls escaped to fairyland once in awhile. Girls liked pretty stuff and it was ok. There's a reason you can't tempt a man into a salon with a steak on a string- hair may be our greatest estrogen fueled indulgence. Scary place for a guy.
This must have been amazing- the front the usual, severe middle part, from the back rolls, braids and pearl hair ornaments. Have a few of these including what looks like a gigantic buckle- for a LOT of hair.
You can't tell me battle hardened suffragettes of later generations weren't a little wistful- somewhere we left behind some grace, that it'd be ok to indulge all-things-feminine and still rub shoulders on equal terms with men. You also cannot tell me the tired, old argument where we dressed to please men holds much water. When was the last time anyone's husband noticed a. what you were wearing and b. your hair c. would be tempted to open this thread? We did this for ourselves. Because we wanted to.
Can you imagine? Cropped from a series of 4, this photo had to have been someone's idea pre-FB, what I did to my hair for the ball last week. I'd share it, too. From somewhere in LoC.
Ok so I'm blaming @Mrs. V for this thread. And thank you! Disclaimer is, anyone who has created a thread on we girls and our hair, I apologize. We do have some terrific threads, hers on hairdressers in 2019 giving us this amount of fun is a great excuse to indulge in ' pretty '. Hand's down, we've never been better at it than we were all those generations ago. We never saw these styles again, maybe we got busy, maybe allowed ourselves to be persuaded it was all vanity and silliness, who knows? But come on. What it was, was kinda awesome.
It's prewar, but like to point out just a few years earlier a severe style went beserk. One of my favorite images, note the crazy cool double part. LOVE to know how the gravity defying sides were achieved? Mrs. V, would it be ok to ask you to ask one of your era stylists? Genuinely love to know.
Found her on Ebay, pretty sure the back view includes a braided bun. Below, one of the most elegant portraits I have, dripping spider web crochet and grace, a braided bun with side curls.
@Mrs. V , top knot and ringlets- hate to derail your thread, maybe should post it there too? She's another Ebay find, terrific place to find an awful lot of History.
You know it's something special when ' hair ' becomes a ' coiffure '. We could use some coiffures but please don't tell my daughter I said that. Flip side of that is, younger generations seem awfully willing to accept anyone, anytime, wearing anything so maybe we could get away with it.
Leaving room for anyone with a favorite- but please, guys, heed the warning. Below, what happens when one of you gets too close to the door of a salon- gets sucked into the vortex. ( yes, I know Little Lord Fauntleroy was a thing, it doesn't make it not hazardous )