Powdered Wigs in Colonial America
Demand for False Hair to Keep up with Fashions Kept Wig Makers Busy
Anyone who has seen images from the time of the American Revolution knows that at that time wigs were the fashion for many men. Louis XIII of France seems to have inspired the trend when, in 1624, he began to wear wigs regularly.
In America, demand among men for wigs provided business for wig makers, who, besides making and cleaning wigs, were often barbers. Some performed other services, such as pulling teeth.
Wigs might be made of horsehair, goat hair, the hair from cows or calves tails, or even silk. But most were fashioned with human hair. Women’s hair was considered stronger than men’s hair, and hair from country women was considered superior to hair from urban women. Wig colors included white, black, grizzle (a mixture of white and black), brown, and flaxen. Auburn and chestnut were available but less popular.
Curling Pins, Rye Dough, Caul
The process of making a wig began with preparing the hair. The hair would be tied in bundles, cleaned with flour dust and fine sand to absorb the natural oils. Then the hair would be pulled through a special comb, called a hackle, and separated by length, thickness, and color. With the root ends in a special vise, the hair would be rolled onto curlers made of pipe clay. The curling pins would be boiled, dried in a small oven, and then taken to a bakery and baked in rye dough, a process meant to make the hair more workable and durable. Loaves with the hair baked inside would then be brought back to the wig maker and broken apart. The moist hair would be returned to a small oven for drying. Finally the hair would be combed and trimmed.
A customer who wanted a wig would come into the shop and first have his head shaved. The wig maker would measure the customer’s head. Using those measurements, he would then make a net cap, called a caul. The wig maker also prepared a paper pattern made up of a series of parallel lines that guided the wig maker in determining the lengths of hair for each portion of the wig.
Using a frame and silk threads, the wig maker would weave rows of hair into strips. He would mount the caul on a head-shaped wooden block, and then, using silk thread stretched on rows of small nails in the block, he would attach various silk ribbons to the caul. A drawstring or buckle might be fixed to the back to enable the wearer to adjust the wig. Eventually, the strips of hair would be sewn in place.
Ribbons, Powder, Perfume, Pomade
In finishing in the wig, the wig maker might add ribbons, powder, perfume or pomade. Ribbons could be pink, green, red or purple. Choices for powder colors included brown, black, gray, white, and even blue. Powder, made of flour, ground starch, or minerals, would be applied with a powder puff or special bellows. During powdering, the customer might cover his face with a special mask and wear a powdering jacket.
Men often treated wigs quite casually and never disguised the fact they were wearing wigs. For example, it was no shame for a man to lift up his wig in public to scratch his head. A man might remove his wig while sitting informally with friends. Some gathering places were equipped with wall pegs specifically meant for wigs.
Wigs came in a wide range of styles with curious names. These included adonis, brutus, buzz, cauliflower, elephant, fox ear, frizz, Grecian fly, hedgehog, lunatique, maw-worm, pigeon’s wing, she-dragon and staircase. Someone counted at least 110 styles. A scratch bob, with a haphazard look to resemble natural hair, was for farmers and other men who worked outdoors. The lion was intended for physicians. A shapeless wig or neglected wig was known as a caxon. The square wig, with hair falling to the shoulders, was favored among judges and the clergy. The major bob may have been the most popular. It featured two to three rows of tight curls at the temples.
Caps, Turbans, Wigs by the Barrel
In some families, boys as young a seven years old wore wigs. Men who wore wigs often took them off at home while relaxing. Some would then wear a linen or brocade cap, perhaps an embroidered gift from a loved one. A wealthy man might wear a turban at home.
Some wealthy men would order wigs from London. A poor American might grab one of the second-hand wigs that came to America by the barrel.
In the 1760s, there was a movement in America to stop wearing wigs, but the fashion rebounded in the late 1760s. In the 1790s, the fashion finally died out.
Sources:
Colby, C.B., Early American Crafts: Tools, Shops and Products, New York, Coward-McCann, Inc., 1967.
Earle, Alice Morse, Child Life in Colonial Days, Williamstown, Massachusetts, Corner House Publishers, 1975.
Earle, Alice Morse, Home Life in Colonial Days, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, The Berkshire Traveller Press, 1974.
Fisher, Leonard Everett, The Wigmakers, New York, Franklin Watts, Inc., 1965.
Williamsburg Craft Series, The Wigmaker in Eighteenth-Century Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Virginia, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 2007.
Woodforde, John, The Strange Story of False Hair, New York, Drake Publishers, Inc., 1972.
Volo, Dorothy Denneen and James M. Volo, Daily Life During the American Revolution, Westport, Connecticut, Greenwood Press, 2003.
Wig Makers at Colonial Williamsburg
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