Georgian Fashion: Hair & Wigs
1 Video View·Oct 20, 2023
Did you know Georgian women don't wear wigs and their elaborate hairstyles are real hair? Find out more in our film.
To learn more about fashion during the Georgian period, visit our exhibition at the Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace: www.rct.uk/styleandsociety
A key component of the Georgian look was the hair and makeup for both men and women.
This really finished off the final effect.
It's a common misconception that men and women wore wigs during the Georgian period.
While it's true that men did wear wigs, actually women usually wore their own hair dressed.
It could be dressed very ornately over pads, but it was usually their real hair.
In this portrait, which shows Queen Charlotte, we can see that the Queen has adopted the
very fashionable heart-shaped hairstyle, which would have involved pomade and powder and
probably people to help create it.
That is shown in another drawing where we can see an elderly woman and you can see a
puff of powder being put onto her hair.
Over the course of the 18th century, hairstyles and makeup becomes much more natural, much
more influenced by the classical ideal.