The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1922-09-26

ltSLl ~ i.-S ONS mining u ILiS S4Si'
tecuth century women mad creased,
powdered ana pulled their hair al
mos. o,f their heads and We're glad TO
aGopr wigwearing which they had
learned fIom the men. They nodi-
fed tae s.s:v yery considerably. As
early as 1872 they gradually began
TO doa w:g:. First "tetes" or pairs
o+ car!s, ore on each side of the
face. ,hen locks came into style and
finally wigs with the hair ready
dressed N the style. I believe they
have naver entirely discarded making
some addition even to this day arti-
fiieiaIy Z needed to augment natur-
al!v thin growth of natural hair, but
in eytenuation of the practice it must
be conceded that they learned the art
from man.
Il IS worthy OF remark that when
men Quit shaving their heads, aban-
doned wigs and began to grow long
hair the women cut their hair short.
Alice Morse Earle records letter,
written IN 1900. from Eliza South
"ats Browne who was then quite
vcung gicl. perhaps IN her teens. The
letter was written fron, Boston to her
motaer residing in one Of the New
England states-Eliza was undoubt-
edlg on visit 10 Boston or at school
there.
sNow, Mamma" writes the daugh-
ter. what Go you think l am going
20 ask for? A WIG. Eleanor Cof-
fin has got q new one just like my
hair and only 5 dollars, must either
cut MY hair or have one. l cannot
dress It at all stylish. -. At the
Assembly / was quite ashamed o. my
head, for nobody rad long hair"
The upkeep of wigs was an eSpen-
siye item, often forty or fifty dollars
were expended on wigs during the
year so.t that the style was quite an
income to the ba,bers. They not on
" clipped the hair as it grew but
kept the wigs repaired and properly
dressed. Wig ribbons, cauls, curing
pipes, s:Spigg wyers," {sprigg. wires
for lacing properly the artificial hair
and wig-steel wee toilet articles with
which these devotees TO fashion had
continually 10 supply themselves.
Enoch Freeman who resided at Port
land. Maine, in 1854 left an old &C
count book with the following entry:
Shaving my three sons at sundry
times !s5. 14s.
Expense for James Wig So.
Expense for Samuels Wig e9."
The three sons were Samuel,
James and William aged respectively
at the date of the entry eleven, nine
and seven, years. 1t is almost un-
'thinkable that a father at that early
date in our history, residing in a little
town IN the woods Of Maine could
have become such q devotee to fash
ion as TO expend in one year about
one hundred and twenty dollars for
i4.a has3.oaar nf his three little sons. j.
The same thing doubtless took place
IN Charleston, Richmond and Balti-
more. When we remember, however,
that these three little boys were car
ried to the barber throughout the
year TO nave their natural locks, the
glory of childhood, shaved off to be
replaced by such ridiculous headgear,
at an expense Of; about twenty-five
dollars year we are forced to admit
that our fathers were fashionable in,
the extreme. Really, could any stu
dent of history Of costumes find it in
h;s heart or mind to criticise dispar-
agingly the costumes Of today?
But when the hair was allowed to
grew ,loGg and tied with a queue mid
way between the shoulders and kept
well powdered. men-Gs it think.
aola?l, even wore caul, or net over
the hair, (even George Washington
did,, to protect their clothing from
being TOO Eoerally peppered with the
wnite powder with which they kept
their heads well covered.
The ribbons which they used to
form the queue for theh' pig-ra:ls
were OF different colocs, the taste Of
the wearar determined = the shsde,
blue, green, red or any color that
might salt their fancy.
No one can truthfully charge the
people of our generation with vanity
and extravaganza OF dress as COM
pared with the gorgeous attire and
frequently ridiculous costumes of his