Several years ago I wrote a post on Regency Hairstyles and their Accessories. This series of images starts much earlier than the Regency. Jane Austen, who was born in 1775, would have been familiar with the hairstyles depicted here up to 1817, the year of her death. Her mother and aunts would have worn longer curls and powdered hair in her childhood. As teenagers and young women just coming on the marriage mart, she and Cassandra would have worn their hair much like the women in the 1790s.
1780s, 1781, 1790
As can be seen from the paintings, hairdos were elaborate in the 1780s and 1790s. Wigs made from real human hair were often used to build up elaborate hair structures. These confections took so many hours to create that a woman would wear them for days on end, protecting the hairdo at night.
Wigs and hair were covered with hair powder made of starch (potato or rice flour, not wheat flour). Oily pomades applied to the hair allowed the powder to stick and fragrant oils masked odors.
1790, 1792, 1795
1795, 1796, 1797
Hairdos became increasingly less elaborate and by the end of the 18th century women began to look to antiquity for role models. (Regency Hairstyles and their Accessories.) A woman’s natural hair color was allowed to shine. More often than not, women tied back their hair in chignons that exposed the neck. In some instances, hairdos were cut boyishly short. Lady Caroline Lamb cut her hair short, as did the two girls shown in 1810.
1797, 1800, 1800
1801, 1801, 1802
I cannot anyhow continue to find people agreeable; I respect Mrs. Chamberlayne for doing her hair well, but cannot feel a more tender sentiment – Jane Austen, 1801
1802, 1802-1804, 1804
1804, 1804, 1804
1804, 1805, 1804-1806
1806, 1906, 1807
1807, 1807, 1808
Even when wearing hats, curls were coaxed out to frame the face. The woman below right with straight hair pulled back into a severe chignon wears curls in front of her ears. Curling tongs were very much in use during this era, as were paper and cloth curlers worn at night.
1809, 1809, 1809
1810, 1810, 1810
1810, 1810, 1810
1810, 1810, 1810
1810, 1811, 1812
She looks very well, and her hair is done up with an elegance to do credit to any education.” – Jane Austen, 1813
1813, 1813, 1816
1816, 1816, 1816
Jane Austen wore caps over her light brown hair, but allowed curls to peep out from under them. I imagine that her nieces at a ball looked much like the young miss at top left in 1813. Hairdos became slowly more elaborate as dresses as dresses were embellished with frills, lace, and other furbelows. Jane would not have recognized the more elaborately decorated dresses and stylized hairstyles of the mid-1820s and 1830s, in which natural flowing lines were taken over by elaborately ruffled collars and skirt hems. Had she lived, she might even have made a joke at the expense of ladies who wore the popular but elaborately built-up hairstyles at the crown, with ringlets cascading down the sides, and flowers and feathers arranged artfully into the curls. (Modes des Paris image.)
1818, 1819, 1820
1824, 1825, 1825
1828, 1828-1833, 1830
1831, 1834, 1835
Modes des Paris image, 1832
More on the topic
To see a Regency timeline of headresses and hairstyles for Regency evenings and their descriptions, click here.
Jane Austen's World 
So useful to have ‘tables’ like this so that you can reference hairstyles, hats or pelisses at a glance. Thanks!
Thanks so much! Great info to have on hand when writing in this period.
I absolutely love this post – thank you Vic. Some of the paintings are familiar and others are less well known – I would love to know the artists. Some of them look European – are they? Are any of them American? It’s fun to choose which Austen character each painting looks like….. Thank you – what a treat and so enlightening.
Margy, click on my Pinterest board and you will find most of the artists and countries of origin. http://pinterest.com/janeaustenworld/regency-hairstyles/
Thanks, Vic! Fascinating to see the subtle, and not-so-subtle, changes in the hairstyles of the period. I do think Austen would have found amusement–in any period–in the fashionable extremists of the day. :)
Those are wonderful portraits. Not only for the hair, but the clothing as well. I tweeted.
Fascinating. I can’t begin to imagine how long it took to compile all those wonderful images.
Grace x
The images are wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing them.
As much as I love reading and writing about the Regency and Victorian Eras, I’m happy not to have lived back then. The hours spent on one’s hair and clothing must have been frustrating.
Very interesting post the hairstyles seemed to get simpler and then of course the Victorian age hit us and they became a bit more elaborate again. Lovely images you have posted.
Thanks for this lovely post, Vic. It is fascinating to compare the pictures with my post on Regency headdresses and hairstyles and see the styles on real people’s heads – I guess it proves that they did follow fashion!
Thanks so much for this very timely and helpful post. We are attending a Regency weekend with multiple day and evening events, and are expected to wear clothing authentic to the period. I was stymied about the hairstyles and head pieces…. this post provided much needed info! I’m sharing it with the members of my vintage dance group!
Oh good post! I do like the chapter in Emma which begins ‘The hair was curled and the maid sent away.’
As you wrote, Jane did not live to show her amusement at the increasingly elaborate styles. But some filmed versions of her work have done so.
Versions of Sense & Sensibility and Pride & Prejudice have compared our well born “heroines” of modest fortune with wealthy ladies–who might be rivals in the search for a worthy mate. The former wear flowing cotton gowns & simple hairstyles untouched by French ladies’ maids. The latter wear bright colors, “Oriental” patterns & gaudy furbelows…
At first glance, I thought the lady from 1825 looks a bit like the Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie!
who started the powdering of hair? why was it done?
This was lovely! Can anyone tell me who the woman in the red dress is in 1824? I’d really love to know if anyone can tell me. Thanks!
A really thorough reference, fascinating, thank you :)
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