Victorian Hair for Children

http://www.ehow.com/info_8085877_childrens-victorian-hairstyles.html

http://victoriantruth.blogspot.co.uk/2008/07/from-commonly-held-misconceptions-about.html

Although much of the work we have done on hair for our course focuses on women's hairstyles throughout the Victorian era, I was intrigued to see how the Victorians styled their children's hair .. were the young girls hairstyles as extravagant as their mothers? So I decided to carry out some independent research and heres what I came across ...

The 'French Coiffure'

Despite the adult roles being 'extremely gender specific', up until around the age of four or five both girls and boys were dressed alike - wearing long, loose dresses and hair either curled or waved. However after they left nursery the children were treated and dressed like miniature adults, the boys hair was cut short at the back and sides and parted on top then oiled into place, whereas little girls remained long and was curled into ringlets or 'sugar curls' by tying hair up in rags the night before.

The 'Chignon'

The boys hair always remained pretty much the same throughout their lives, however as the girls became older their hair became more elaborate and detailed, used as a representative of their coming of age. The hair would still be curled but often 'tied up in a looser version of their mothers hair', however at 16 they would begin to wear their hair in a 'Chignon' (a low bun at the nape of the neck) or a 'French Coiffure' to make them more presentable for courting.

As the Victorian Era progressed, the regulations for children became more lax, and the girls were able to wear their hair in styles similar to those we still see today - loose and flowing, ponytails, plaits etc. 

The various hairstyles over the Victorian era for young girls.

Early Victorian Hairstyles

The way women styled their hair in the early Victorian era (1830's - 1850's) was mainly dependent on their social class. This is because those deemed low/working class citizens needed practical hairstyles that would allow them to complete the jobs they were required to do, such as be a maid/servant, without their hair getting in the way. Therefore as a result of this the majority of working class women had their hair tied back into plaits and buns most of the time while they were working. In the evenings the women may have styled their hair in order to seem appealing to their husbands such as having their hair in ringlets but unlike those wealthier than them they could afford the resources to create more extravagant looking styles.

In addition to the fact that wealthier women were able to afford better resources to help with styling their hair such as bonnets, flowers and other hair accessories to make the styles more appealing, these women also had more extravagant hairstyles due to their social lives. Wealthier citizens often attended large dinner parties, balls etc. Therefore they had more opportunity to dress up and experiment with various hairstyles.

Image taken from http://www.fashion-era.com/hair_hats_184070.htm

However, regardless of the difference in class, there were a number of elements that were common across all Victorian women's hairstyling. First of all it was extremely popular for women to have a parting directly down the centre of their head throughout the early Victorian era as it made the hair look neater and perfected. 

image taken from
http://individual.utoronto.ca/beaujot/web2/bib.html

In addition to this, despite the differences in the ways the hair was styled across different social classes, the factors that went in to creating the hairstyles were mainly based around plaits, buns and ringlets. The majority, if not all victorian hairstyles used either one or all of these elements. Various plaits were used to create different styles (fishtail plaits, standard plaits, french plaits etc.) sometimes the hair was plaited into a bun at the back of the head or hair was plaited along the sides of the head and into a bun at the back, curls were styled in various ways, sometimes the whole head was curled and then styled or other times women created a number of identical ringlets at the sides of their head - but the same ideas were used in styles across the classes. 

When it came to evening wear, upper class women often had the hair in curls piled up on the top of the head with maybe a few curls hanging out at the back down the neck, as well as including various colourful flowers, lace, ribbon etc to make the hair more exciting and encouraging them to be in competition with other women attending the event to be the most beautiful and extravagant out of them all.

image taken from
https://www.pinterest.com

Ageing Hair

Health & Safety:
Place an apron round the models neck to ensure their clothing is protected from any stains or damage.
Make sure you wash your hands thoroughly with soap before touching the models skin or hair.
Ensure you conduct a client consultation to check for any allergies, infections or contraindications.

Equipment Used:
- Dry Shampoo
- Supracolour Palette (Black and White)
- Disposable Mascara Wands (x2)

Step by Step:
1. If you wish to turn the whole head of hair grey then you are best off using a dry shampoo. This is easily done by spraying the areas of the hair you wish to turn grey with the dry shampoo and then slightly rubbing it through so the product doesn't just sit on the head . You can keep repeating this process until the level of grey you want is achieved.

2. However if you are looking to turn a small amount of hair grey, for example; eyelashes, eyebrows, small strands of hair or facial hair then you are better of using the black and white in the supracolour palette. Mix together the black and white supracolour (the amount of each colour you use depends on what shade of grey you wish to achieve - the more black the darker the shade of grey/the more white the lighter the shade of grey will be). Take a disposable mascara wand and run it through the mixed supracolour. Begin combing the supracolour through the hair you wish to make grey until the area is covered. Then take the clean disposable wand and comb the area. This will prevent the grey supracolour looking like its sitting on the hair and will instead make the grey hair look more realistic.

Evaluation:
I found the process of ageing hair quite straightforward and easy enough to accomplish, therefore it was not a struggle to achieve. However after experimenting on different hair types I have found that dry shampoo can struggle to both appear grey on some hair types as well as sticking to some hair types. However I think the way around this would just simply be to have to keep repeating the process when necessary.

The Portrayals of Miss Havisham

Florence Reed  (1934)

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02063/Florence-Reed3_2063022i.jpg

Florence Reed was an American actress from Philadelphia known for her roles in films such as The Black Panther's Club (1921), Her Own Way (1915) and Her Game (1919). Reed was one of the first actress to take on the role of Miss Havisham from Charles Dickens novel Great Expectations channeling the drawn haggard lady at the age of  51. The detail in the makeup, making the character look withdrawn and older than her time was very effective in making the character more believable. In addition to this pinning the hair up out of the face in a bun structure helps reinforce the ageing of the character, making her appear older and frailer, the combination of these two components helped make Reed's portrayal of Miss Havisham a success. 

Martita Hunt (1946)

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/07/01/article-1291188-00D174FE00000190-710_233x423.jpg

Martita Hunt was a British actress (although originally from Argentina) who was famous for her diverse range of roles as Queens, shrews and evil characters. The actress reprised her role as Miss Havisham in 1946, under the direction of David Lean, after her earlier portrayal in the 1939 stage adaption by Alec Guinness. 
The actress' 1946 portrayal was less focused on ageing and making the character look withered and withdrawn but instead was more focussed on how being jilted at the aisle had defined her as a woman, the veil and wedding dress she never took off making her appear almost as a fairy godmother, guiding and protecting Estelle.

Margaret Leighton (1974)

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02062/Margaret-Leighton_2062993i.jpg

Margaret Leighton was a British theatre actress who made her debut at the tender age of 16 as Dorothy in TV movie Laugh With Me (1938). She took on her role as Miss Havisham at the age of 52, just a year before she passed away. The actress channeled the crazy character by sporting an eerily pale skin tone (an obvious side effect of the character not leaving the house for over 15 years) and wearing the wedding dress the character never managed to take off after being deserted by her future husband. Both these factors combined with the light hair and dark eyes made Leighton's portrayal ghost like, a very effective interpretation as it seems since Miss Havisham was rejected, she has never been able to regain her character, staying indoors slowly loosing her mind, her personality a ghost of the woman she once was.

Joan Hickson  (1981)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturepicturegalleries/8907506/Gillian-Anderson-Helena-Bonham-Carter-and-Miss-Havisham-on-film.html?image=15

Joan Hickson began her long and successful career on stage, performing in the theatre throughout World War II. The actress then gradually began to receive screen roles in works such as The Outsider (1948) and The Promoter (1952), eventually leading her to her role in the TV series adaptation of Charles Dickens 'Great Expectations' as Miss Havisham. The actress played the role at the age of 75, making her portrayal of the character more focused on how after being inside for so many years, mourning over the marriage she never got to have, she was haggard, withdrawn and frail. Her skin dry and colourless, sinking and sagging due to her distress. Another completely different but successful portrayal of Miss Havisham.

Jean Simmons (1989)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturepicturegalleries/8907506/Gillian-Anderson-Helena-Bonham-Carter-and-Miss-Havisham-on-film.html?image=16

Jean Simmons portrayal of Miss Havisham in 1989 came after her debut at 15 years old as Margaret Lockwood's sister in Give us the Moon  (1944). After many different roles, the actress portrayed Dickens' character at the age of 60. Her portrayal focused on the richer aspects of Miss Havisham's character, from her posture to the props such as the small umbrella she held. The natural ageing of the actresses skin helped to emphasise the struggle the character has been through and how she has suffered due to the lack of light and her distress at being rejected by the man she was supposed to marry.

Anne Bancroft (1998)

http://www.gothic.stir.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/bancroft.jpg

This adaptation of Dickens' Great Expectations'  is most probably one of the most eccentric to date. Not only because they have modernised the world surrounding the characters but also the characters themselves. This is clearly evident in Anne Bancroft's role within the film. Directed by Alfonso Cuaron, the role of Miss Havisham is adapted to a character named Ms Dinsmoor, a character that doesn't appear to bare much similarity to any of the previous portrayals of Havisham. This version ignores the usual customs such as her still wearing her wedding dress or the wedding cake in the corner covered in cobwebs but instead has created and produced something brightly dressed and loud. However Bancroft's character is still manipulative, bitter and venomous just as Miss Havisham has always been, only the extreme eye makeup and bright clothing provides a new, refreshing take on the novel which in turn provides a new outlook on the character altogether.

Charlotte Rampling (1999)

http://www.listal.com/list/evolution-charlotte-rampling

Charlotte Rampling is an English actress born in 1946, who still has an amazingly successful career today at the age of 69. In 1999, at the age of 53, the actress landed the role of Miss Havisham in a TV movie adaptation of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, directed by Julian Jarrold. Her portrayal of Miss Havisham was monarch like and in some ways sophisticated. The wealth of the character is obvious in her wedding dress and her appearance, this portrayal is more dignified than some of the previous representations of Miss Havisham, her distress of being rejected by her fiancee is less visually evident in her appearance than it has been i other portrayals.



Gillian Anderson (2011)

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02063/Gilian-Anderson5_2063010i.jpg

Gillian Anderson is a successful actress of todays film and TV industry, starting out in 1986 at the age of 18, starring in Three at Once as 'Woman 1', she then carried on to eventually land a leading role in The Fall recently in 2014. During this period she took on the role of Miss Havisham in a TV series of Charles Dickens Great Expectations produced by Rebecca Eaton. Her portrayal of the character channels a woman who has spent so much of her time inside, contemplating her losses in life that it has led her to become lost and insane. Her character moves between manic, lost and manipulative, but Anderson's portrayal is convincing and effective in all states. 
On top of this, Anderson's makeup and costume for the role is also very effective, her snow-white skin and dark eyes show how she has been a recluse in doors for so many years. Her off-white wedding dress represents her troubled past and the dead bouquet she carries around is effective in showing viewers how she hasn't let her go her past rejection.

Helena Bonham Carter (2012)

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02374/helenaHaversham_2374575b.jpg

Helena Bonham Carter is renowned for her extreme and adventurous roles within the film industry, from her character as Bellatrix Lestrange in the Harry Potter films to Mrs Lovett in Sweeney Todd. Her ability to channel a character is astonishing, in an interview she explained how when she was assigned the role of Miss Havisham in the 2012 reproduction of Great Expectations she did research on what the physical side effects of staying indoors for over 15 years would do to a body and the state of mind and then channelled this into her character. The pale skin helped to reinforce this idea and the veil over her face made her appear widow like, mourning her non-existent marriage.

Key Gothic Motifs

These images are taken in various different places but they all have a common link - key gothic motifs.  All of the photos are taken from cemeteries, a place which I believe can be linked to a number of the motifs. 

Strange places - when you consider the reality of cemeteries you are standing somewhere surrounded by those who were once but no longer are alive, despite this people still take comfort in visiting them, feeling closer to the loved ones they've lost.

Clashing time periods - in a literal term the cemeteries have graves that were dug over a number of centuries and therefore a mixture of time periods. In addition to this, some of the photos were taken of memorials in Vienna. These were made from some form of metal which is no longer a common practise when creating memorials as the metal begins to rust from rain and oxidisation. These old practices in a modern day world cause a clash of time.

The supernatural and the real - some people believe that life is not over after death but there is instead a supernatural world where spirits are able to live on in the form of ghosts, as a cemetery is a resting place for the bodies of the deceased, they bring together both the idea of this supernatural world of the spirits that were once part of the deceased but also the real; that these people are no longer with us and their physical beings lay beneath us.

The Gothic

The Gothic is depicted in Great Expectations through a number of different elements, first of all is the idea of imprisonment. Imprisonment is a large part of the 'gothic' theme in novels, and Charles Dickens' novel is no exception from this. In Great Expectations imprisonment is represented through the character of Miss Havisham - although no one is physically restraining her or stopping her from leaving the room in her house she is completely overcome with the grief of being rejected so many years ago she faces a personal battle of embarrassment and despair that is restricting her from being able to move on from what has happened in her past.
In addition to this, power, also a theme within 'The Gothic' is clearly evident in Dickens' story. The idea of power in the gothic is usually portrayed by those who are vulnerable and put themselves and their lives at risk. This is evident in Miss Havisham and how she has become engrossed in the search to gain power and manipulate the entire male population. She trained Estella from a young age when she would have been vulnerable so she was unable to love another, especially a man, as her own personal revenge.

The Uncanny is a key theme of what makes up 'The Gothic', it is the idea that there is something new but it takes us back to our own psychological or physical past. This becomes apparent with Miss Havisham and how when she looks at Pip and Estella together it reminds her of herself and the fiancé that left her. Another element of 'the uncanny' is the idea that something appears almost human but they're not, for example a doll or a waxwork. This can be linked to Pips description of Miss Havisham when he first meets her, he tells the reader how "Once, I had been taken to see some ghastly wax-work at the Fair, representing I know not what impossible personage lying in state. Once, I had been taken to one of our old marsh churches to see a skeleton in the ashes of a rich dress, that had been dug out of a vault under the church pavement. Now wax-work and skeleton seemed to have dark eyes that moved and looked at me. I should have cried out, if I could." Pip describes Miss Havisham as having some relation to the appearance of that waxwork he once saw, the idea of 'the uncanny'. This take on this part of The Gothic has been given a unique twist by Charles Dickens as Miss Havisham is in fact human but her behaviour and appearance is so unbelievable of that of any human being that she appears almost like an idea, unrealistic and distant.

Finally there are elements of the 'grotesque', this implies that there are features and behaviours of a character that are transformed from normal to extremes and in some cases scarily comical. This is depicted in Great Expectations through Miss Havisham. Everything she does seems over-exagerated and over the top, from becoming a recluse and not leaving her house to taking revenge on all men through the use of manipulating Estella. All of her behaviours and attributes are in some way grotesque.

High-definition Broadcasting

High-definition Broadcasting is a better and clearer than normal standard television broadcasting. What the viewer sees in HD is a much better quality than what is seen from a standard analog television or other TV formats.
As a result of this make up artists have to be more aware of the looks and the work they are creating for camera as everything is more detailed and more obvious in HD. Small things that wouldn't normally be picked up will be very obvious when broadcasted in high definition. For this reason, many makeup brands have created a specific makeup line designed to make the wearer look flawless under HD film and photography. This makeup is made up of micro-fine particles that reflect light in just the right way under a HD lens, leaving the wearer's skin looking unbelievable.
However this is not the only thing makeup artists must consider when working under HD broadcasting; too much makeup is also very obvious under a HD lens, therefore cleansing, toning and moisturising the skin before applying makeup is essential in evening out the hydration of the skin and assisting in applying makeup to look flawless.
As well as HD makeup, makeup artists also use a technique known as 'airbrushing' to create a flawless finish, this consists of micronised pigments that are less obvious on camera. The technique works using a mini compressor that discharges compressed air that leaves the final look to appear lightweight and even. In addition to making the skin look so clear, the airbrushing technique is also easier to blend and doesn't leave lines of makeup.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/production/article/art20130702112136285

http://www.mirenesse.com/74332-large_default/sp-photoshop-in-a-tube-smooth-nude-cc-hydra-makeup-mousse-high-definition-4-pce-collection.jpg