When Mr. Gilchrist [the hairdresser] opened my aunt’s head, …its effluvias [bad odor] affected my sense of smelling disagreeably, which stench however, did not surprise me when I observed the great variety of materials employed in raising the dirty fabric. False locks to supply the great deficiency of native hair, pomatum with profusion, greasy wool … Continue reading From Servants to Sovereigns, Lousy Hair Days (Part I)
Lice
“With Double Its Weight of Vermin”: Bugs in George’s Bed
“I went in to the Bed as they call’d it when to my Surprize I found it to be nothing but a Little Straw—Matted together without Sheets or any thing else but only one Thread Bear blanket with double its Weight of Vermin such as Lice Fleas &c,” wrote 15-year-old George Washington in his Journal … Continue reading “With Double Its Weight of Vermin”: Bugs in George’s Bed
Perukes, Pomade, and Powder: Hair Care in the 1700s
Editor’s Note: Looking back in time, people’s personal hygiene, fashion choices, medical treatments, and more sometimes look, at the very least, bizarre, if not outright disgusting. When confronted with these weird or gross practices, our first reaction can be to dismiss our ancestors as primitive, ignorant, or just silly. Before such judgments, however, we should … Continue reading Perukes, Pomade, and Powder: Hair Care in the 1700s
Lives & Legacies 