Hairstyles- Pre Civil War- And Post Civil War Era

DO note that this photo of Harriet is a daguerreotype, likely dating from the 1840's and not the Civil War era. This hairstyle with the fat "sausage curls" at the side was popular during the Mexican War; I have several N. Currier (not yet Currier & Ives) and other era prints showing similar hairstyles.
Hi James, and I was wondering about the time period of the photo, so thanks for clarifying. It seemed to fit the description given in the OP.
 
I believe other then heating on/in the stove curling irons of the day they did these easier "rag curls" as well @JPK Huson 1863 :


That's wonderful! Thank goodness for reenactors! ( and one of you should become vocal with whomever writes programs- spell check persists in hating that word. ) THAT makes sense although it's still impressive.

What you have love ( and have been fascinated by for as long as I've been interested in the war ), is how these styles pop up inside army camps! We can love the 150 year old photos- then gosh, look at the women! How on earth, in tents and small, dark, cabins, did they achieve such neat, tidy and precise hairstyles? Plain, perhaps, but lovely.

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Cox's family tent life always looks so crowded yet his wife ( rats, I did find her name- Ellen? ) has sausage curls and a neat part ( not to mention beautifully ironed clothing ).

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Guessing they knew a photo was planned- hair is a little more elaborate than snood and plain part. Done in tents, officers and wives, from the 125th OVI. Wish we knew names.
 
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" Back of head ' shots are generally thought to be mourning photos and this could be? It does seem era- neckline is the same as Susan Huson's and those dots were huge, in the early-mid ' 60's. You do hate to add to myth- may be a back-of-head mourning photo. Mourner may have dressed up her hair, since it's all anyone saw. Or- it's a photo someone took, of artistic hair, someone's creation, used for a purpose, who knows?

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Same, here. One thing I learedn awfully quickly, poking around these old treasure is, assuming anything is a great way to look silly. What we do know is, this is awesome hair- and judging from a plethora of Godey's and era magazine ads- it's 1860's. You can see the bow, on the snood's edge, left.
 
Hairstyles as Seen in Popular Prints of the Times
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Forgive the poor quality of these photos I took last night in my dining room where these and others are displayed. I've admired the hokey quality of Currier & Ives prints since I discovered them now over a half-century ago but was never able to afford the famous ones you always see around Thanksgiving and Christmas, so have had to "make do" with these smaller ones by them and their competitors. The one above, titled MY FRIEND AND I. is by N. Currier (before his partnership with Ives) dated 1846 and is especially interesting as an example of what today would be called subliminal advertising: in the upper right-hand corner is a representation of another popular Currier print showing hero and early casualty of the Mexican War Major Samuel Ringgold of the U. S. Artillery. I've also seen a copy this print - minus Ringgold - reversed with the caption My Sister and I, and by a different publisher, showing that in this period there was no such thing as copy-written material and piracy was rampant. (And it may well be that Currier was the offender in this case!)

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FANNY. here is another Lith. Pub. by N. Currier and also dated 1846; dated prints such as these provide definite proof of the dates of things like hairstyles and fashion trends; they were for popular consumption and therefore tried to be timely in subject and appearance.

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LOOK AT MAMMA. is another Lith and Pub. by N. Currier but is unfortunately undated. However, most Currier and Currier & Ives prints contain an inventory number to correspond with their mail-order lists! This one is number 329 showing it to follow Fanny (number 122). This time, we can determine the date pretty closely as being from the same mid-1840's era from the similar styles depicted. Sentimental scenes like this were immensely popular with the buying public and today are referred to as genre prints.

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The first one of these I acquired and my favorite SARAH. is not by Currier, but one of his several competitors and is undated but marked Lith. & Pub. by J. Baillie, 118 Nassau St. N. Y. in the same neighborhood as Currier himself, who was variously at 152 Nassau St. Cor. of Spruce N. Y. and earlier 33 Spruce St. N. Y. Although undated, Sarah too obviously dates from the 1840-1850 period.

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Although THE BELLE OF NEW YORK was severely cropped in framing - all these except Fanny are in the frames they came in - she's almost certainly a Currier & Ives dating from around 1870. She well illustrates the ever-more-elaborate hairstyles of the Gilded Age and Grant's Administration.
 
Hairstyles as Seen in Popular Prints of the Times
View attachment 177277

Forgive the poor quality of these photos I took last night in my dining room where these and others are displayed. I've admired the hokey quality of Currier & Ives prints since I discovered them now over a half-century ago but was never able to afford the famous ones you always see around Thanksgiving and Christmas, so have had to "make do" with these smaller ones by them and their competitors. The one above, titled MY FRIEND AND I. is by N. Currier (before his partnership with Ives) dated 1846 and is especially interesting as an example of what today would be called subliminal advertising: in the upper right-hand corner is a representation of another popular Currier print showing hero and early casualty of the Mexican War Major Samuel Ringgold of the U. S. Artillery. I've also seen a copy this print - minus Ringgold - reversed with the caption My Sister and I, and by a different publisher, showing that in this period there was no such thing as copy-written material and piracy was rampant. (And it may well be that Currier was the offender in this case!)

View attachment 177278

FANNY. here is another Lith. Pub. by N. Currier and also dated 1846; dated prints such as these provide definite proof of the dates of things like hairstyles and fashion trends; they were for popular consumption and therefore tried to be timely in subject and appearance.

View attachment 177276

LOOK AT MAMMA. is another Lith and Pub. by N. Currier but is unfortunately undated. However, most Currier and Currier & Ives prints contain an inventory number to correspond with their mail-order lists! This one is number 329 showing it to follow Fanny (number 122). This time, we can determine the date pretty closely as being from the same mid-1840's era from the similar styles depicted. Sentimental scenes like this were immensely popular with the buying public and today are referred to as genre prints.

View attachment 177279

The first one of these I acquired and my favorite SARAH. is not by Currier, but one of his several competitors and is undated but marked Lith. & Pub. by J. Baillie, 118 Nassau St. N. Y. in the same neighborhood as Currier himself, who was variously at 152 Nassau St. Cor. of Spruce N. Y. and earlier 33 Spruce St. N. Y. Although undated, Sarah too obviously dates from the 1840-1850 period.

View attachment 177275

Although THE BELLE OF NEW YORK was severely cropped in framing - all these except Fanny are in the frames they came in - she's almost certainly a Currier & Ives dating from around 1870. She well illustrates the ever-more-elaborate hairstyles of the Gilded Age and Grant's Administration.
That's quite a collection, James, and I think my favourite is The Belle of New York, as much for the smile in her eyes as the elaborate hairstyle.
 
That's quite a collection, James, and I think my favourite is The Belle of New York, as much for the smile in her eyes as the elaborate hairstyle.
I've seen (and was tempted to buy!) another similar Currier & Ives from around the same period titled The Belle of the South who was wearing a contrasting RED dress.
 
Wonderful collection of Currier and Ives prints. Thanks for sharing.
These are so beautiful! Thank you for collecting them and then sharing them with us!
I'm glad you enjoyed them! None are in really great condition (Sarah's probably the best) and some were even soiled (frameless Fanny was even slightly mildewed) or had slight tears, but they display well, especially as a group. In case you may think they're all pictures of girls, there are also Napoleonic soldiers and Mexican War battles, a young Lady (Martha) Washington, George crossing the Delaware, Washington Family (including the adopted Custis grandchildren), a still life with fruit, and another stylized girl titled AUTUMN with fruit woven into her hair!
 
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I'm glad you enjoyed them! None are in really great condition (Sarah's probably the best) and some were even soiled (frameless Fanny was even slightly mildewed) or had slight tears, but they display well, especially as a group. In case you may think they're all pictures of girls, there are also Napoleonic soldiers and Mexican War battles, a young Lady (Martha) Washington, George crossing the Delaware, Washington Family (including the adopted Custis grandchildren), a still life with fruit, and another stylized girl called AUTUMN with fruit woven into her hair!
I'm glad you're saving a piece of history with them no matter what condition they're in! :wink:
 
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Would love to see the Washington pictures. I know not of Civil War era, but would enjoy seeing them.
I'm glad you're saving a piece of history with them no matter what condition they're in! :wink:
That's quite a collection, James, and I think my favourite is The Belle of New York, as much for the smile in her eyes as the elaborate hairstyle.

I thought you might like to see my latest, found at my favorite HUGE indoor/outdoor flea market this past weekend for the princely sum of $20! One of the 'leaves' decorating the corner of the frame is broken and it was very dirty and the wood dried out, but nothing a little TLC couldn't improve. In addition to the ca. 1890 frame I was attracted by the strong color of what I think is another ca. 1870's Currier & Ives print titled Rose And Lily, although I wish they hadn't been so severely cropped to fit the frame.

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Traditionally, throughout most of the 19th century, women parted their hair in the middle and men parted their hair on the side. In the case of infants and toddlers, all of whom wore dresses regardless of sex (lots easier to change diapers and toilet train!), the hair part (once they had enough hair to part) was the only way to tell if the child was a boy or a girl!
 
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I thought you might like to see my latest, found at my favorite HUGE indoor/outdoor flea market this past weekend for the princely sum of $20! One of the 'leaves' decorating the corner of the frame is broken and it was very dirty and the wood dried out, but nothing a little TLC couldn't improve. In addition to the ca. 1890 frame I was attracted by the strong color of what I think is another ca. 1870's Currier & Ives print titled Rose And Lily, although I wish they hadn't been so severely cropped to fit the frame.

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Thank you! How beautiful!
 
Traditionally, throughout most of the 19th century, women parted their hair in the middle and men parted their hair on the side. In the case of infants and toddlers, all of whom wore dresses regardless of sex (lots easier to change diapers and toilet train!), the hair part (once they had enough hair to part) was the only way to tell if the child was a boy or a girl!
On a recent but probably rerun episode of Antiques Roadshow one of their experts said that the only way to tell the "sex" of a particular type of doll was the painted or molded part in their hair: centered for girls and side-part for boys.
 
WOW!! I did not realis that curls ruled back in the day!!!?? now I see why there are so many CURLING IRONS in antique shops! you just had to have them to archive the beautiful BANANNA CURLES!
 
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