Solent Horror Story: Estella; Hair Design Research + Drawings

I created my Miss Havisham character as if she last did her hair in 1840s /1850s - when she was getting ready for the wedding. When Pip brought Estella to London it was a bit more than 20 years later, so I researched hairstyles from the 1860s- late 1870s.

I think that Estella never really had very complicated hairstyles s she was growing, and before she got married and moved out of the Satis House There are relatives living with them too, but her adopted mother, Miss Havisham, wasn't much of a mother figure. She didn't even change her clothes or wash herself, why would she treat her hair differently?

Photograph of a woman

Early bustle period
c.1870

(source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/370913719281662568/)

I am positively smitten with both of these lovely young Victorian women's dresses.

Two sisters

Ohio, North Dakota

1870s

Photographer: unknown

(source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/28333802@N04/4884442936/)

Portrait of a woman

Photograph

1870

(source: http://www.bartoscollection.com/historicfashions/ladyfleur.html)

Victorian hairstyle

from Godey's Lady's Book and Magazine
1867

(source: http://www.victoriana.com/Victorian-Fashion/victorianhairstyles-1867.html)

Onésipe Aguado - Woman Seen From The Back

part of "Musings on the Backside"

Metropolitan Museum

Salted paper print from glass negative

1862

(source: http://venetianred.net/2009/02/24/hidden-identity-musings-on-the-backside-part-i/)

1870s Women's Hairstyles

Ordinary Americans and Fashion, 1840-1900

Photograph

Dressed for the Photographer

1870s
Image courtesy of Joan L. Severa

(source: http://www.uvm.edu/landscape/dating/clothing_and_hair/1870s_hair_women.php)

Portrait of a woman

late 1860s / early 1870s

photograph
Photographer: unknown

(source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/566046246886640645/)

1870s Women's Hairstyles

Ordinary Americans and Fashion, 1840-1900

Photograph

Dressed for the Photographer
Image courtesy of Joan L. Severa

(source: http://www.uvm.edu/landscape/dating/clothing_and_hair/1870s_hair_women.php)

1860's hairstyle...if we only had a good source for period hair combs!

Hairstyle decorated with a comb

drawing

1860s

Artist: unknown

(source: http://blog.historicalfashions.com/2009/05/1860s-hairstyles.html)

Braided decorated

photograph

1860s

Photographer: unknown

(source: http://blog.historicalfashions.com/2009/05/1860s-hairstyles.html)

Hairstyle no.1

This hairstyle looks more like an early Victorian, but as shown in the research above, with slightly bigger and messier curls, it could be made into a late Victorian, too. Hair at the back it braided and twisted into a bun.

(Feb 21st 2015)

Hairstyle no.2

Curled fringe, sides puled back. Rest of the hair in big tight curls.

(Feb 21st 2015)

Hairstyle no.3

Again, fringe curled, sides pulled back into a big twisted bun at the back.

March 6th 2015

Hairstyle no.4

Curls at the front, one section on each side braided - going under the ear to the bun at the back, twisted around it.

March 6th 2015

Hairstyle no.5

Curles at the front, sides swiped back into a bun made out of a twisted plait.

March 6th 2015

Hairstyle no.6

This hairstyle doesn't look on paper the way I imagined it to look in my head. Basically, what I wanted to do here was to take two sections on each side and take them back and, with the rest of the hair, create an oval shaped bun.

March 6th 2015

Hairstyle no.7

Here I'd section the middle of the fringe I'd backomb it to make it look bigger. Then make the sides nice and smooth and pull them to the back - joining at the back with the middle section on top, and pinn it all to stay in place. Rest of the hair wavy.

March 6th 2015

Hairstyle no.8

Curls at the front, sides pulled back into a twisted bun. Rest of the hair wavy.

March 6th 2015

Hairstyle no.9

Just like in the majority of my designs so far, curled fringe and sides pulled back into a bun, inspiration for the bun was taken from my research above.