1840s

Hair styles of the 1840s for the everyday woman were influenced by royalty, who in turn traded influences with European styles of the time. The Royals would establish the styles which would then descend through the nobility beneath them, then to the wealthy members of society who could afford to instill the new styles. They were then paraded at concerts and parties as a demonstration that one was in touch with what was happening in the important areas of society. As a carry-over from the early 1800s, it was Queen Victoria's ascension to the throne in the latter 1830s and her influence on the rest of society that established the trends and styles. Ringlets and puffs were common with women continuing to part their hair down the center. This was maintained for both adults and children, so when you see photographs of children who look like girls, check the part. If it is in the center, it was a girl, and if parted on the side, it was a boy dressed like a girl. As the 1840s proceeded, the topknots were reduced in size and moved toward the back of the head. There were many variations of the ringlets and coils with the ears usually hidden by puffs.

Hair Styles of the 1840s can best be shown by what existed in the early photographs. Rather than present a history of photography here, it is better just to show the hair styles worn by women during the period. Note that the photographs on these pages are not strictly authoritative. They come from sources that are unreliable as the original owner has often made a guess as to the date. As time goes by, a new identification method will be required. The best source is a photograph that clearly has a date on the back of the photograph written in the handwriting of the time.

For the time being, these photographs should be considered educated guesses. Many hairstyles did cover extended periods of time, so they are within the correct period to match the photographs. But as the earliest photographs were taken about 1837, those that survive from the 1840s, should be considered rare. This is therefore the rudiments of a beginning collection, and will be revised as time and circumstances permit. 15hqql.

1840	1840	1840

1841	1841	1841	1841

1842	1842	1842	1842

1843	1843	1843	1843

1844	1844	1844

1844	1844	1844

1845	1845	1845	1845	1845

1846	1846	1846	1846

1846 Emily Dickinson	1846 Mary Todd Lincoln	1846 Margaret Fuller

1847	1847	1847	1847	1847

1848	1848	1848	1848	1848

1849	1849	1849	1849	1849

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