John Singleton Copley, 1738–1815. Mrs. Robert Hyde. 1778. Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection. B1981.25.162.
The first couple years in the 1780s were transitional for ladies’ hairstyles. As with all things, there wasn’t the immediate abandonment of the large styles of 1778–1779, but a gradual shift that results in some overlap. This is why we have two chapters that cover roughly the same years in the early 1780s. One style is formed over a cushion, and the other is created using crape’d and curled hair (here), with a much smaller cushion as support. Looking at the prints from the era, both techniques are contemporary, but the large cushions fall out of favor within the first three years of the decade, thanks to the ebb and flow of fashion and to Léonard Autié cutting Marie Antoinette’s hair à l’enfant. [1]
However, before Marie Antoinette cut her hair, the tall hairstyles were already deflating and frizzed hair was already coming into fashion. The in-between style in this chapter illustrates the switch to width on the sides and shortening at the top of the hair. It’s a great option for women with longer hair that wish to play in the 1780s, and there’s even evidence of this hairstyle being worn through the end of the decade in America, as seen in Ralph Earl’s portrait of Esther Boardman, 1789. [2]
To accent this early ’80s style, we have patterns and instructions for a ruffle-less cap called a toque and a very simple hood known as a therese. Both of these accessories are very easy to make, can be worn together and may be dressed up or down in material choice and trimmings.
As with all transitional styles, the Coiffure Chenille is a little of this and a little of that. There is scope here for self-expression, as seen in myriad fashion plates [3] and paintings from these years. Play around with height, width and texture to find what you love the most.