Ringlets, coils, loops and rolls- Jayne Shrimpton examines the evolution of women’s locks, from exuberant coiffures in the 1800s to the smooth post-war waves of the 1940s, revealing how to read your ancestor’s tresses:
A fringe or frizzed front hair was worn with a bun behind the head, as seen in this image from 1895 of a domestic servant on her 21st birthday. Courtesy Kat Williams.
An Australian carte de visite from c.1869 shows the hair drawn away from the face, encouraging pendant earrings. Courtesy Vicki Hilder.
Before World War I the fashion was for parted hair drawn up into two thick swathes above the temples. Courtesy Kat Williams.