Walking The Wigs So They Can Be Aired.
The powdered wig was the ultimate wearable symbol of all things overindulgent, dramatic, fashionable, and social prominence, all in one. The powdered wig became the vehicle of grandeur and the proof of status. A whole lifestyle eventually grew around it—positions developed for those who created, tended, or stole these ‘things.’
The powdered and elaborate wig was not without its problems. They were notoriously heavy, difficult to maintain, and a hygiene menace.
“…So where did the hair for all these perukes and poufs come from? Cheaper wigs could be made from the hide of cows, goats and sheep, or from horses’ manes, but the majority used human tresses from the poor, peddling their locks to raise some desperately needed funds. Vendors travelled between villages, seeking young or elderly peasant women; silver, white, blonde and grey hair – curly being the most sought after. More alarmingly, hair was also taken from the corpses of prostitutes and criminals and even from plague victims. Once assembled, the peruke was not washable, and as you can imagine, soon smelled terrible. An entire wig care industry developed to try to combat this problem, producing items such as scrapers, salt flasks, lice and flea traps (one advantage was that lice lived on the wig rather than the wearer whose hair was often shorn) and wig curlers. …”
from Messy Nessy – Wig Holes and Other Mysteries of Powdered Hair History Explained
by Claire Shepard
Walking The Wigs…Because someone had to.
A collage.
Made by Sosanni V
coffee table the look:
Taking ‘wigs’ a bit further along as a metaphor…and moving further along the timeline, I couldn’t resist adding this book to the post…witty, to the point. forward. a timeless read, and Nancy Mitford, a writer with a talent rarely seen today.
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