Early victorian hair styles still had elements of Georgian hair styles and something that was still featured in the Victorian era was called the apollo knot. the apollo knot featured a slick middle parting with tight curls right next to the face. and the third section at the back they had high buns in twists and plaits.
You can see this Georgian hair style being carried through to the victorian era by Victoria herself in the portraiture by henry colleen (1836) at the age of 17, as a princess the year before she became queen.
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| This portrait featuring an apollo knot was most likely very very early victorian era. |
The victorians had advantages and disadvantages on us when creating this hair style. the victorians didn't cut their hair and they grew it very long which helped create the large shapes, twists and buns they found so beautiful. unfortunately to create those tight curls that they felt adorned the face so beautifully (not so sure about that one myself) they needed heat. we certainly take for granted the fact that we can wash our hair with nutritional shampoo and conditioner, on a regular basis, we have heat protector and most of all we have plug in curling tongs. The victorians obviously did not. Instead they had irregularly washed (with drying soap) fragile hair. when thats combined with what was most likely a heated metal rod over coals they're hair was brutal and had the tendency to snap. this meant of course padding. when the women didn't have enough hair themselves in the victorian times they often used pieces.
so Whilst looking into the early victorian hair styles I also did a practice on my Katy head. following the images I have scene whilst researching it I immediately knew I wouldn't be able to create such structures with the quantity of hair I had but every practice will help me understand the techniques more and will be able to help me in designing a hair style to fit the era that I can create with continuity.
to create this look it was actually surprisingly easy. and coming from me that must be easy. to start with I obliged to the victorian specialty, slick centre parting. i created this look with a trusty pin tailed comb. I combed back all of the front of the hair back with no parting then following the nose up to find the centre of the face created a straight line directly back to the crown of the scalp. at this point i gently pulled the hair to one side to create a parting. unfortunately on a katy doll the hair doesn't fall quite as evenly as it would with natural hair. So i knew it was even i looked in the mirror and took the pin of my pin tail comb and took across any strands that were out of place. these corrections are key in the victorian look as it was a large part of the desired finish. then from roughly just behind the ears i sectioned the back of the head off so i have three sections two symmetrical at the front of the head and the remaining of the back of the head.
at the back of the head i simple got two sections out of the hair twisted them around one and other and then twisted it into a small bun which was secured by pins. with the two side sections they were both also sectioned into four long strips of hair down the side of the head, each one equalish, i then used the heated curls straight against the face curled in and held for roughly 4-5 second on each to make sure the curl is set well. to make sure the curls don't drop when taking the tongs out i released the hair bit by bit and used the comb to push the hair off the curlers in the same shape.
i think my final outcome is ok for a first timer but obviously it would be much more beautiful and i would be able to get a lot more creative if it was long human hair. like the elizabethans had, i am really excited to start working with a partners hair but i foo feel sorry for them as my hair is certainly much shorter and most likely just as damaged as a victorians hair.
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