TV & Film - Early Victorian Hairstyling

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David Copperfield (Set 1820-1850)
This adaptation of an early Victorian interpretation is taken from the television film 'David Copperfield' 1999 featuring a very young Daniel Radcliffe and Dame Maggie Smith. In regards to female hair styling this is a good example of an early simplistic Victorian style focusing on a basic middle parting and bun. Although from this image the hair styling is not particularly clear, beneath the bonnet the hair is divided by the ear into a front and back section. The front is then pulled backwards into a series of tight ringlets that are tucked into the front of the bonnet. The rest of the hair is then pulled backwards into a mid sitting bun that is fastened with pins into a series of plaits. It was common for the hair to be kept beneath these bonnets outside the home as to protect the style from wind, rain and in turn the face form sunlight.
Similarly throughout the film the hair changes and in some scenes is pulled back from the face completely into a simple twisted bun at the back of the head, or features a plait on either side. However unlike the images we have seen of Queen Victoria with her low hanging loops of braid that sit beneath each ear, within this instance the plaits sit close to the head and merely twist around one another at the back of the head to form a bun. The hair styling for this film in particular is highly simplistic and reflects the practicality in hair styling that was prominent within the early Victorian period.

The Paradise (Set 1849)

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/guide/abc1/201303/programs/
ZX9310A008D2013-03-23T193116.htm

This image is taken from the television series 'The Paradise' which is set in the year 1849. Similarly to 'David Copperfield' this demonstrates another example of the popular simple hairstyles of the early Victorian period which focused more on practicality than elaborate spectacle. From this show you can see how the use of the tight ringlet was beginning to become less commonplace by the mid 1800's and instead the hair was being curled into more natural waves, these later developed onwards into the 'Marcell Wave' that became a commonplace feature for Victorian hair leading into the 20th century. Unlike previous adaptations however the hair of the leading female role within this series is far less focused on the concept of plaits and instead is more visibly shaped into elegant twists and waves. This may be interpreted that due to the more working/middle class background of the key character within this series, with her main role being that of a shopkeeper, that she could not afford the tools required to create the more elaborate up do's that began to develop during the mid 1800's. Therefore the styling for this character provides a wonderful insight into how the more commonplace citizens of Victorian society would have presented themselves and styled their hair on a daily basis.