Coiffures, Poufs, Hats and Bonnets: Eleven Coiffures and Headdresses c. 1778
anonymous
imaginative character sketch
quirky illustration
childish illustration
quirky sketch
cartoon sketch
personal sketchbook
sketchbook drawing
watercolour illustration
cartoon carciture
sketchbook art
This anonymous fashion plate, dated c. 1778, from the Rijksmuseum, depicts four different women's hairstyles and headdresses. Each woman is shown from the side, showcasing the elaborate styles popular during the late 18th century. The hairstyles feature towering structures of hair, often adorned with ribbons, feathers, and even miniature ships. This plate provides a glimpse into the fashion trends of the era, highlighting the extravagant and often impractical hairpieces favored by women of the time.
Comments
Ladies’ hairstyles were ingenious works of art, built around a core of cushions and horsehair. Hair was piled high in curls and twists (chignons) and adorned with feathers, ribbons, artificial flowers, tulle and jewels to create various fancifully named poufs. Because the hair was dressed using animal fat and powdered with wheat flour, these poufs attracted all manner of insects. Far from hygienic, they moreover did not last long. When they went out, ladies protected their hairdos with a voluminous ribbed hood called a calèche 1. Hairdressers of the time, who styled themselves as artists, used prints to advertise their latest creations and craftsmanship 2 3.
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