Kristin Holt's Blog, page 22

Old West Bath House

Nineteenth Century American Bath Houses were often businesses connected to hotels, barber shops, ladies' hairdressers, and spas offering massages and curative measures (steam baths, medicated baths, etc.). In the Old West, such businesses advertised in the newspapers of the day, some announcing prices (compared to today's dollar). It's a peek into the luxury of a wet-from-head-to-toe bath when a person has no running water at home.

Old West Bath Tubs

While bath tubs of various styles were available in cities by the mid-nineteenth century, the American Old West didn't have easy access to delivery of such finery until after the Transcontinental Railway in 1869 (followed by additional railroads bringing delivery nearer to home) eliminated freight by horse-drawn wagon. Historic images of Montgomery Ward & Co. catalogs and Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalogs illustrate available options--some of which are simply too ingenious to miss! Who knew a kitchen sink so easily doubled as a bath tub? Or that a five-and-a-half-foot bathtub could fold up? Price comparisons (then to now) show why it took a good long while for most folks to afford more than a public bath (next post) or a bowl and pitcher to make do.

Hair Indicative of Character

Similar in nature to the nineteenth century confidence in Phrenology as an indicator of personality and character, this descriptive (short) chapter from a barber's manual from turn of the century (circa 1900) illustrates the Victorian-era suggestion that hair color is indicative of character. Did Mr. Bridgeford, Barber College teacher, accurately connect your hair's nature to your personality traits?

Styling Ladies’ Hair; American 19th Century

My mother-in-law once told me, “a woman’s hair is her crowning glory”. Not a perfect quotation of the book of Corinthians I, but close. But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her… 1 Corinthians 11:15, King James Version Hence the gold crowns on the background of this article’s main image. […]

Victorian Ladies’ Hairdressers

Given Victorian women typically grew their hair long and wore it up, they occasionally had use for a ladies’ hairdresser. Sure, these hairdressers gave the women a trim now and then, but most of their work was in styling lengthy tresses for special occasions. Readers of Regency Romance know ladies’ maids dressed the lady’s hair, […]

Victorian Era Men’s Hairstyles

Men's hairstyles of the Victorian Era are identified in photographs from the era, including one barber school's style plate images. Styling products of the day were made according to recipes by the barber (also part of their barber college training) and some, such as Macassar oil, proved to be a nuisance to fine furniture, thus prompting the creation of an aesthetically pleasing solution: the antimacassar. Includes vintage recipes for styling products like Bay Rum and Macassar oil. Contains citations from three vintage barber training manuals.

Old West Barber Shop Haircuts

The Old West Barber Shop Blog Series continues. This article includes images of historic barber chairs, an antique towel steamer (and hot water dispenser), line art of the era illustrating the pedestal used in lieu of a barber's chair, images from mail-order catalogues showing tools of the trade available for home purchase, and patents for barber chairs and devices. This series' upcoming posts will detail Victorian-era men's hairstyles, bath houses, bath tubs, shower baths, ingenious furniture-bath-tub combinations, and ladies' hair salons.

Victorian Shaving, Part 2

This second of two articles about Victorian Shaving includes the advent of the Safety Razor--with patent details, historical images, advertisements in period newspapers and mail-order catalogs. A YouTube video shows proper shaving techniques with a safety razor. This article is part of a Blog Series about all things Old West Barber Shop and Ladies Hair Salons.

Victorian Shaving, Part 1

Old West (and simply Victorian-American) Barber Shops offered shaves as well as haircut services. This article focuses on straight-blade razors of the era, how a barber shaved his patrons with a straight blade, and how to strop (sharpen) a straight-blade razor. This article is part of a many-part blog series about Victorian-era Barber Shops and Ladies Hair Salons.

Old West Barber Shop

Old West Barber Shops used the traditional sign of the striped pole, advertised in newspapers, and usually hired men. Comparing for time passage and inflation, the low rates barbers charged then still seem ridiculously low. This is the first of many posts about Old West Barber Shops and Ladies Hair Salons.