Georgian Hairstyles

False hair, created into elaborate curls which defied gravity, were the style in Georgial era in Britain and France. The styling of hair in these elaborate styles took hours, and the styles were expected to last for at least a week. Women went to extraordinary lengths to keep these styles, sleeping sitting up. The natural hair of the women was dressed around horsehair and frames, and finally large volumes of false hair was added, rising as much as half the woman’s own height above her head!

These extraordinary hairstyles were often topped with decorations which were like model scenes of ships or farmyards. Alternatively, lavish Gainsborough hats might top off the hairstyle.The taste for the artificial extended beyond the hairstyle, and Georgian women frequently had false teeth, and dilated their pupils using Belladonna from the Deadly Nightshade plant. They used patches of valvet cut into pretty shapes to cover smallpox scars, and doused their clothes and belongings in toilet waters and perfumes.