Upswept styles were all the rage for the mid-19th century woman. Using false braids and hair fillers [aka rats], & even fine wire frames, they twisted & arranged their hair for evening social affairs into their desired look. Regardless of the upswept do they chose, the styles were ALL called a chignon [she-nyon]. And they usually finished off these elegant chignons with HAIR FORKS at the back to catch the candlelight or the eye of an intended beau. Women, in the 1840s wore chignons at the top of their heads, combining with locks falling at either side of the face, and their ears were always covered. By the 1860s, the hair was parted in the center and pulled back with ears showing & the chignon sat low on the head. Bangs werent worn during this time period. In fact, they wouldnt make their debut until around 1880. Aside from the central back hair fork, ladies also adorned their upswept tresses with combs, flowers, leaves, pearls, or jeweled ribbons woven through the elegant strands.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 17:12:34 +0000