Victorian and Edwardian Hairstyles
Let’s explore the hairstyles of these two neighboring eras, which takes place between 1837-1914.
VICTORIAN refers to the Victorian Era, which took place during the majority of the 19th century (1837-1901). The era is named after Queen Victoria who reigned as Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
EDWARDIAN refers to the Edwardian era, which took place at the beginning of the 20th century (1901-1914), and was the last period in British history to be named after the monarch who reigned over it. Although Edward VII reigned from 1901 to 1910 to be succeeded by George V, the Edwardian period is generally considered to have ended at the outbreak of the First World War in 1914.
As the Victorian era dawned, hairstyles evolved to become more elaborate and structured.
Victorian Hairstyles and Accessories for Women
Victorian women usually had long hair, with many different elaborate styles. Hair was often used like a canvas to display wealth and femininity.
From GCP’s Little Women: The Victorian Christmas Card (2024)
From GCP’s Shenandoah (2015)
Braids/The Braided Crown
Braids were not just for children; adult women also wore them. Hair was braided and then wrapped around the head like a crown, sometimes incorporating ribbons or flowers. Very practical, but also elegant, keeping hair neatly away from the the face and neck.
The Chignon (pronounced sheen-yon)
A versatile style where hair was gathered into a low bun at the nape. It could be simple for everyday wear or elaborately adorned with accessories for special occasions.
From GCP’s Little Women: A Victorian Christmas Card (2024)
Ringlets
Younger women and girls often wore their hair in soft ringlets framing the face. This style was seen as youthful and demure.
Bows & Ribbons
Ribbons created bows to attached to the hair. They were worn at the nape or tied on the end of a teenager’s plait. Bows were large and a prominent accessory.
Victorian Hairstyles and Facial Hair for Men
The Side Part
Hair was neatly parted on one side, often combed flat with a slight pomade to maintain its place.
Slicked Back Look
Men slicked their hair back using oils or pomades.
From GCP’s Oliver! (2015)
From GCP’s A Christmas Carol (2008)
Mutton Chops
Large, bushy sideburns that extended down the jawline were a statement of virility and often paired with a neatly styled hairdo.
The Full Beard
Facial beards were often well-groomed and maintained, sometimes with oils.
Much of the Victorian styles bled into the Edwardian styles, which started to evolved near the end of the 19th century. Overall, women’s Edwardian hairstyles had a soft, fluffy and loose fluidity about them. They were large and often padded to create the bulk and size fashionable during this era.
Edwardian Hairstyles and Accessories for Women
The Gibson Girl Updo
Popularized towards the end of the Victorian era, this style involved piling hair atop the head in a loose and slightly tousled manner, often with a few strands artfully escaping around the face. The style takes it’s name from artist Charles Dana Gibson, who at the end of the 19th Century, would draw images for popular magazines of women sporting this style. It started out as an American style, popular amongst young fashionable women, with an athletic and confident nature.
The Pompadour
Inspired by Madame de Pompadour (a 18th Century mistress of King Louis XV), this style involved sweeping the hair upwards from the face and wearing it high over the forehead. It was often volumized with hairpieces to create an imposing silhouette.
Marcel Waves & Curling Irons
The Marcel way of styling hair was in vogue for Edwardian women who didn’t have wavy hair. A Marcel Iron was used to create the distinctive peaks and troughs of this style.
From GCP’s Newsies (2019)
Plumage & Feathers
Feathers were popular, and the feathers of many a feathered friend became the fashionable hair and hat adornment. This gained momentum in the second half of the decade, taking over from the ribbons and flowers.
Large Hats
Edwardian women wore hats outside of the home and for social occasions. And boy, did they like big hats! Quite simply, women’s hairstyles had to be big enough and structured in such a way to support the size and weight of the headwear. But more on hats later.
Ladies Hats
Edwardian hats were big and got larger through the decade. So much so that some theatres insisted women remove them when attending a performance, thereby allowing the poor suckers behind to see the stage. Removal of these large hats was not a minor undertaking!
Hats were part of everyday life from morning to night, and the hair was styled accordingly to accommodate the hat. At the start of the Edwardian era, hats sat more on top of the head. However, by about 1904, some were worn tilted at an angle.
The seasons affected the wearing of hats. As a general rule, lighter straw hats were worn during summer, while heavier velvet or felt was favoured for winter. Ladies with their finger on the fashion pulse would wear their new spring hat to church on Easter Sunday.
Large hats were not suitable for sportswear, so smaller hats were introduced. For example, the straw boater (which had been around for a few decades) was very popular as sportswear.
Hat Styles
Some of the ladies hats seen in Edwardian times include:
Flat caps were big and oversized.
The Merry Widow was named after the operetta by Viennese composer Franz Lehár. Performed in London in 1907, the lead actress wore a large, black plumed hat. It led to women wanting the same style.
Cartwheel hats with a wide-brim and made from straw.
Picture hats often heavily decorated with flowers, fruit, feathers and tulle.
Straw sailor hats with black velvet bands were also popular sportswear.
When riding in the open motor cars of the day, ladies would use a wide chiffon veil about three to six feet in length to drape around their hat and tie under the chin to keep it secure.
Automobile bonnets were silk hats specially designed for adventures in the car and worn with goggles to keep the dust from one’s eyes.
Boudoir Caps
Of course, hats were not worn in the home. Instead, women may wear a lightweight boudoir or matinee cap. It was often made from muslin or net material and decorated with ribbon or lace. Crocheted hats were popular, as they could easily be made at home.
Cartwheel Hat Hairstyle
This wide and flat women’s Edwardian hairstyle was designed to be worn under a broad-rimmed hat such as the cartwheel. The hair would most likely be padded with rats to give it the structure and bulk needed. This Edwardian hairstyle was seen from about 1908 to the mid-1910s.
Side Swirls
This was a softer version of the cartwheel hat hairstyle. It was popular with young ladies, especially college students and those working in clerical professions.
This is a late Edwardian style, seen from about 1908 onwards into the pre-war years.
Teenage Girls & Crowning Glory
Teenage girls wore their long hair down. Their hair could also be tied at the nape with a simple bow or worn in a single plait. One way to wear a plait was by tucking it under and securing the end at the nape with a ribbon. It was known (by some) as a doorknocker.
Young ladies would practice putting up their hair. For example, those at boarding school may have put their hair up for evening tea, giving themselves some much-needed practice before the real world beckoned.
A girl entered the world of adulthood at about 17 years of age. At that time, their “crowning glory” would be dressed up into one of the popular women’s Edwardian hairstyles. From now on, it would be inappropriate for hair to be left down.
While the early 1900s had men wearing hair in unusual shapes with defined parts and dramatic volume, the 1910s were much more refined. All hair styles were shorter on the sides and tops, with the aid of oils to flatten them. Of these shapes, there were a few varieties that played with hair parting and texture.
People at the other end of the social spectrum, the working and lower classes, often had very different hairstyles from their wealthy neighbours. Mostly as a result of economic priorities, but also for practical reasons. There was no point in a chimney sweep sporting a neat side parting for example. It wouldn’t last long! Here’s a closer look at the typical hair styles for the lower classes:
Practical and Low Maintenance
Hair As touched on above, for poor men, practicality was key. Hairstyles in this demographic were generally simple and low maintenance. The style reflected their working-class status and the more ‘grounded’ needs of their daily labour. They weren’t trying to show off or display their wealth and status.
Short and Functional
Hair was usually kept short to avoid interference with work and to minimize the need for upkeep. Short hair was easier to keep clean and less likely to harbour lice, a common problem in the crowded and unsanitary living conditions many poor people endured. Once someone in a household had lice, they would spread like wildfire around the slums.
Natural and Unstyled
Unlike the upper classes who used various products to style their hair, poor men’s hair was typically left natural. There was little to no use of oils or pomades, both due to the cost and the lack of necessity for such styling in their daily lives.
Rough and Unkempt Appearance
Given the harsh living and working conditions, along with limited access to hygiene facilities, the hair of poor men often appeared rough and unkempt. Regular haircuts were a luxury, so their hair might have grown unevenly or appeared shaggy.
Facial Hair
Facial hair, such as beards and moustaches, was common among the working class, partly due to the lack of regular shaving. Shaving required both time and resources (like razors and shaving soap), which were scarce. Beards and moustaches were often kept short and functional, without the elaborate grooming seen in higher social classes.
References
https://victorianchildren.org/victorian-era-hairstyles/
https://hair-and-makeup-artist.com/womens-edwardian-hairstyles/
https://vintagedancer.com/1900s/1910s-mens-hairstyles-trends/
https://knotmagickknitter.wordpress.com/2020/03/06/victorian-hairstyles-with-tutorials/