Early Victorian Hairstyles

Queen Victoria was on the throne from 1837 until 1901. During her reign, it was very fashionable for ladies to arrange their hair in an up do of curls at the back of their head, followed by one or more loops of hair leading from the front of the hair to it's arrangement at the back. This style of loop could either be loose or plaited, both were very popular. 

For some women however, this was not an ideal hairstyle in the working world. A lot of women took to wearing bonnets or hats, to keep their hair neat and contained. An undo meant that their hair could sit under the bonnet without looking untidy. 

Queen Victoria

As always, the public were very influenced by their queen and would take her hair styles as inspiration for their own. Victorian women would part their hair in the middle, and their hairstyles would always be very neat. They would have plaited buns, to keep the hair in place and tidy. Early Victorian hairstyles showed that the hair would only come as low as the ear - and the front of the hair would often have 'sausage-like' ringlets framing the face. 

As time went on, hairstyles became a bit looser. Curls would be more wavy than tight ringlets, and the hair often came down to the jawline rather than around the ear area. The styles stayed almost the same but they became a little bit more playful after the 1840s. 




Pre-Victorian hairstyles included the 'apollo knot'. This was particularly popular between 1825 and 1845, it was an elaborate hair style that tended to lean to one side and was complex looking. Another style that was popular was called the 'Madonna' coiffure, which was a centre parting and was built up with tight ringlets at the side and crown of the head. Many women thought this was an elaborate hairstyle to wear every day, and was worn for special occasions, however it became more well known and more worn as time went on. 

Bibliography:

http://www.fashion-era.com/romantic_era.htm