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I work at an 1860's pioneer village. I am getting pressure to cut my hair, which at present is about ten inches long. I am told that if I can find pictures of men in the 1860's with long hair I will no longer get pressure to cut the hair (I need three sources) If anyone can give me a link to images from the 1860's I would appreciate it.
Martin
This one is pretty easy. Edmund Ruffin, a Confederate soldier who fired the first shot against Ft. Sumter, was a longhair. Here's the URL for an image:
http://clio.nara.gov:70/I/inform/dc/audvis/still/civwar/civil159.jpg
The entire site was a great source... thanks
Martin
Martin,
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (the former CBS show) took place in the mid 19th century. The show airs repeats on the PAX network. There are a number of characters and guests (guys) on the show that sport long hair. If they were settlers or pioneers, they did not wear their hair in a tail (I don't think). Soldiers, on the other hand, might have.
If you are unable to find conclusive evidence to sway your employer's mind, is it possible to hide your hair under a hat?
As a historical re-enactor/actor myself (mostly Renaissance-era),
I've come to find that anything from Hollywood is at best highly suspect when looking for historical accuracy.
For example: ever seen Braveheart? Remember all those kilts?
Wallace and his kin wouldn't have known a kilt if one slithered up
and bit them- Scotsmen wouldn't be wearing kilts for about
another three centuries.
I have learnt to use hollywood only for entertainment not historical accuracy, as directors/producers and actors are often modern thinking people with more authority than the costume/hair people.
My boss wants me to have three immages documented with date and geographic area along with social history on the person in the photograph. I portray a tradesman (harness maker) who in essence would probably follow local trends? But I tend to think of myself as a bohemain who doesn't follow trends unless it suits me..
Martin
If you're talking about an American village circa 1860, consult any of the many books about the Civil War (the book that accompanied the Ken Burns documentary is full of pictures). That era was well documented in photographs and covered the full gamut of society from urban to rural, elite to indigent. However, if I'm not mistaken, men's hair generally was seldom longer than collar-length at that time.
Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill Cody, and General George Armstrong Custer all lived during the 1860's and had long hair.