Description
Book SynopsisA thick, tangled and deliciously idiosyncratic history of hair. Times Literary Supplement
The Enlightenment (1650-1800) was the Golden Age of hair. Hair dominated fashion as never before or since, with more men and women than ever donning elaborate wigs and hairdos. Such unprecedentedly extravagant styling naturally increased the demand for the services of professional hairdressers, whose numbers grew apace throughout the period. They, in turn, created a new range of hair-care products and a new literature of hair-care advice, ranging from hairstyles to hygiene, thus enlarging the market and further stimulating consumption.
A Cultural History of Hair in the Enlightenment offers a record of their marketing success, mindful that the ultimate product of this culture of consumption was the consumer. Literary and visual arts celebrated the ambitious têtes and coifs of the period, but they also lampooned and caricatured the most fashionable in society. By explo
Trade Review
A thick, tangled and deliciously idiosyncratic history of hair ... There is plenty to inform and intrigue. * Times Literary Supplement *
These learned and witty essays explore the Enlightenment’s obsession with the “social magic” of hair, from celebrity hairdressers to hairy comets, to outlaw hair to the global trade in textiles. Mediator of foundational, philosophical, social, racial, and sexual differences, hair emerges as the catalyst for vividly creative critical encounters with the material past. -- Helen Deutsch, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
This volume invites us into the lively and inventive world of hair in the 18th century, in all of its messy magic and heightened glory. Each essay reveals new ways of seeing and understanding Enlightenment hair—real, artificial, and imagined. -- Chloe Wigston-Smith, University of York, UK
Like a great new cut, A Cultural History of Hair in the Age of Enlightenment allows you to envisage the world differently. Working like master wigmakers, the editors have assembled a star roster of contributors and crafted an elegant collection that braids together the study of sociability, materiality and the body. Rarely have I read a series of essays that so powerfully argues for the centrality of its topic to 18th-century life. -- Daniel O’Quinn, University of Guelph, Canada
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations General Editor's Preface Introduction, Margaret K. Powell and Joseph Roach 1. Religion and Ritualized Belief, Misty G. Anderson 2. Self and Society, Julia H. Fawcett 3. Fashion and Adornment, Lynn Festa 4. Production and Practice, Sean Silver 5. Health and Hygiene, Margaret K. Powell and Joseph Roach 6. Gender and Sexuality, Jayne Lewis 7. Race and Ethnicity, Heather V. Vermeulen 8. Class and Social Status, Manushag N. Powell 9. Cultural Representations, Crystal B. Lake Notes Bibliography Notes on Contributors Index
