WHY EUROPEAN MEN WORE WIGS IN THE EARLY 1700-1800
When looking at paintings of the founding fathers as they sign the Declaration of Independence or debated the Constitution at the Constitutional Convention in 1787, you’ll notice something most, if not all, of the founders had in common. They wore wigs and not just any wig, but fairly large white wigs.
Why did they go through so much discomfort?.
Wearing wigs then had to be very hot and uncomfortable, how did they cope..?.
This is a question a lot of people ask, so I would explain why they wore wigs.
Wigs were known as per brooks and actually had been worn for quite some time throughout Europe even before the founding fathers putting their wigs on. Since medicine was primitive and many people suffered from diseases that cause sores and scars, wigs were used as a way to cover up those blemishes, but in the hundreds. King Louis XIII, came to power in France, and it was said that by the age of 17, King Louis already had thinning hair. So in an effort to cover up his baldness, Louis hired over 40 wig makers to start making him wigs to wear on a daily basis. A few years later, King Charles, the second of England, began going grey. So to cover up his aging, he began to wear wigs as well. Now, two of the most powerful men in all of Europe were regularly wearing wigs, and so all of the elite wealthy class citizens wanted wigs as well. Wigs became a symbol of status and were seen as acceptable dress for men at formal occasions. Furthermore, the wigs helped to address a practical problem for people living in the 1600s and 1700s. Head lice was fairly common, and the only way to ensure not getting lice was to shave your head in order for it to fit properly.
Usually, the person wearing it would need to shave their head. So now the problem of lice could be resolved by simply getting a wig. But there was one other problem, – the smell. The wigs were usually made from horse or goat hair and were very difficult to clean. So after a few times of wearing a wig on a hot summer day, the wig had a very strong odor and would draw flies and other insects. So in order to combat the pest that the wigs would draw in, people began to powder their wigs.
The powder they used was generally very finely ground up starch and lavender to try to make the wigs smell better. Now, contrary to popular belief, not all of the founding fathers wore powdered wigs. In fact, George Washington refused to wear a wig, and he mostly grew his hair long and tied it in a ponytail in the back. However, on very formal occasions, Washington would powder his reddish hair in order to look more dignified and proper. And for the most part. Thomas Jefferson did adopt wearing wigs more when he was an ambassador for America in France. John Adams, who was bald, wore a wig, and there was even stories of him throwing his wig on the floor and stomping on it when he was upset.
James Madison, the primary author of the Constitution, too, was known to regularly wear a wig. But in the late 1700s to early 1800s, wearing wigs began to fall out of fashion. In France, the French Revolution basically put to an end wig wearing because it was seen as a symbol of the elite and wealthy class. Also in England, in 1795, new taxes were put on wigs, which made them more expensive and less people were willing to pay for them.
In America, James Monroe would be the last president inaugurated while wearing a white powdered wig.
So with that, hopefully you learn something. And thanks for reading.