Classifieds

In upper- and middle-class Victorian society, a lady’s hair was a mark of status and womanhood. It may be hard to fathom now, but many ladies in vintage times never cut their locks but preferred to grow them to extraordinary lengths instead.
Apart from the aesthetic appeal of long, sensuous hair, voluminous tresses allowed for the creation of elaborate up-dos—the coveted fashion of the time. Victorian clothing was typically heavy; piled-up hair balanced the silhouette.
When a style required lots of volume, extensions—called “rats”—made from a woman's own hair were used. Advertising promoted pinned, bouffant hairdos as befitting the public image and romanticized long, flowing locks. Let-down hair was for behind closed doors and, past the age of 15 or 16, was for the husband's and maid's eyes only....