THE HEAD.
There is no part of the body which has been more exposed to the
vicissitudes of fashion than the head, both as regards its natural
covering of hair, and the artificial covering of caps and bonnets. At
one time, we read of sprinkling the hair with gold dust; at another
time, the bright brown hair, of the color of the horse-chestnut, so
common in Italian pictures, was the fashion. This color, as well as
that beautiful light golden tint sometimes seen in Italian pictures
of the same period, was frequently the result of art, and receipts
for producing both tints are still to be found in old books of
"_secreti_." Both these were in their turn discarded, and after a
time the real color of the hair was lost in powder and pomatum. The
improving taste of the present generation is, perhaps, nowhere more
conspicuous than in permitting us to preserve the natural color of
the hair, and to wear our own, whether it be black, brown, or gray.
There is also a marked improvement in the more natural way in which
the hair has been arranged during the last thirty years. We allude,
particularly, to its being suffered to retain the direction intended
by nature, instead of being combed upright, and turned over a cushion
a foot or two in height.
These head-dresses, emphatically called, from their French origin,
_tetes_, were built or plastered up only once a month: it is easy to
imagine what a state they must have been in during the latter part
of the time. Madame D'Oberkirch gives, in her Memoirs, an amusing
description of a novel head-dress of this kind. We transcribe it for
the amusement of our readers.
"This blessed 6th of June she awakened me at the earliest dawn. I
was to get my hair dressed, and make a grand _toilette_, in order
to go to Versailles, whither the queen had invited the Countess du
Nord, for whose amusement a comedy was to be performed. These Court
_toilettes_ are never-ending, and this road from Paris to Versailles
very fatiguing, especially where one is in continual fear of rumpling
her petticoats and flounces. I tried that day, for the first time, a
new fashion--one, too, which was not a little _genante_. I wore in my
hair little flat bottles, shaped to the curvature of the head; into
these a little water was poured, for the purpose of preserving the
freshness of the natural flowers worn in the hair, and of which the
stems were immersed in the liquid. This did not always succeed, but
when it did, the effect was charming. _Nothing could be more lovely
than the floral wreath crowning the snowy pyramid of powdered hair!_"
Few of our readers, we reckon, are inclined to participate in the
admiration of the baroness, so fancifully expressed, for this singular
head-dress.
We do not presume to enter into the question whether short curls are
more becoming than long ones, or whether bands are preferable to curls
of any kind; because, as the hair of some persons curls naturally,
while that of others is quite straight, we consider that this is one
of the points which must be decided accordingly as one style or the
other is found to be most suitable to the individual. The principle in
the arrangement of the hair round the forehead should be to preserve
or assist the oval form of the face: as this differs in different
individuals, the treatment should be adapted accordingly.
The arrangement of the long hair at the back of the head is a matter
of taste; as it interferes but little with the countenance, it may be
referred to the dictates of fashion; although in this, as in every
thing else, simplicity in the arrangement, and grace in the direction
of the lines, are the chief points to be considered. One of the most
elegant head-dresses we remember to have seen, is that worn by the
peasants of the Milanese and Ticinese. They have almost uniformly
glossy, black hair, which is carried round the back of the head in a
wide braid, in which are placed, at regular intervals, long silver
pins, with large heads, which produce the effect of a coronet, and
contrast well with the dark color of the hair.
[Illustration: Pl. 6.
Figure 55. After Parmegiano.
56. Titian's daughter.
57. Lady Harrington.
59. Roman peasant.
61. Gigot sleeves.
]
The examples afforded by modern sculpture are not very instructive,
inasmuch as the features selected by the sculptors are almost
exclusively Greek, whereas the variety in nature is infinite. With the
Greek features has also been adopted the antique style of arranging
the hair, which is beautifully simple; that is to say, it is parted in
the front, and falling down towards each temple, while the long ends
rolled lightly back from the face so as to show the line which
separates the hair from the forehead, or rather where it seems, as it
were, to blend with the flesh tints--an arrangement which assists in
preserving the oval contour of the face, are passed over the top of
the ear, and looped into the fillet which binds the head. The very
becoming arrangement of the hair in the engraving, from a portrait by
Parmegianino, (Fig. 55,) is an adaptation of the antique style, and is
remarkable for its simplicity and grace. Not less graceful, although
more ornamental, is the arrangement of the hair in the beautiful
figure called "Titian's Daughter." Fig. 56. In both these instances,
we observe the line--if line it may be called--where the color of the
hair blends so harmoniously with the delicate tints of the forehead.
The same arrangement of the hair round the face may be traced in the
pictures by Murillo, and other great masters.
Sir Joshua Reynolds has frequently evinced consummate skill in the
arrangement of the hair, so as to show the line which divides it from
the forehead. For some interesting remarks on this subject, we refer
our readers to an "Essay on Dress," republished by Mr. Murray from the
"Quarterly Review." Nothing can be more graceful than Sir Joshua's
mode of disposing of the hair when he was able to follow the dictates
of his own good taste; and he deserves great credit for the skill with
which he frequently treated the enormous head-dresses which in his
time disfigured the heads of our countrywomen. The charming figure
of Lady Harrington (Fig. 57) would have been perfect without the
superstructure on her beautiful head. How stiff is the head-dress of
the next figure, (Fig. 58,) also, after Sir Joshua, when compared with
the preceding.
The graceful Spanish mantilla, to which we can only allude, is too
elegant to be overlooked: the modification of it, which of late years
has been introduced into this country, is to be considered rather as
an ornament than as a head-covering. It has been recently superseded
by the long bows of ribbon worn at the back of the head--a costume
borrowed from the Roman peasants. Fig. 59. The fashion for young
people to cover the hair with a silken net, which, some centuries ago,
was prevalent both in England and in France, has been again revived.
Some of the more recent of these nets are very elegant in form.
The hats and bonnets have, during the last few years, been so moderate
in size, and generally so graceful in form, that we will not criticize
them more particularly. It will be sufficient to observe that, let the
brim be what shape it will, the crown should be nearly of the form
and size of the head. If this principle were always kept in view, as
it should be, we should never again see the monster hats and bonnets
which, some years ago, and even in the memory of persons now living,
caricatured the lovely forms of our countrywomen.