The wigs, or perukes as they were referred to, were convenient because they were relatively simple to maintain, requiring only that they be sent to a wigmaker for a delousing once every few months or so. As wigs gained popularity, they were used as a status symbol by people who wanted to show off their wealth. An ordinary wig cost 25 shillings, which is equivalent to a week's wages for the average Londoner. The term "bigwig" originates from this period, when the British nobility would spend upwards of 800 shillings on wigs for themselves and their ladies. If you adjust for inflation, the value of 800 shillings in 1700 would be approximately £40 today (about $50 in 1700), which would be approximately £8,297 or $10,193 in today's currency.
Gilbert Stuart, the famous portraitist who painted the Founding Fathers, depicted five of the first six Presidents as having completely white hair, according to the National Portrait Gallery. Modern viewers frequently assume that these are wigs, owing primarily to the prevalence of virgin hair bobo wigs -wearing in films and television shows in recent years. However, by the time of the American Revolution, wigs had been phased out, and they had been replaced by a fashion for powdering one's own hair. While it is true that wigs were a major status symbol in the second half of the 18th century, by 1800, short, natural hair had taken over as the preferred style. When it comes to the rise and fall of wigs, politics, cleanliness, ailments, and cost were all factors to consider.
How the Wig Became So Massive
When it came to fashion in the 17th century, hairlines played an important role; a well-groomed man was identified by his good hairline. Unfortunately, syphilis was also on the rise in Europe at the time, and it ultimately claimed more lives in Europe than the Black Plague. Because this occurred before the discovery of antibiotics, people who were infected with syphilis were subjected to the full range of symptoms, including sores and patchy hair loss. Because good hair was associated with social status and fashion, baldness and hair loss exacerbated the stigma associated with having syphilis.
Wigs were commonly used to conceal hair loss in the past, but their widespread use did not begin until two Kings began to lose their hair. King Louis XIV of France began experiencing hair loss when he was 17 years old, and he hired 48 wigmakers to assist him in restoring his thinning locks. A few years later, King Charles II of England began wearing wigs after his hair began to turn prematurely grey – both of these conditions being syphilitic signals – and his hair began to fall out. As courtiers began to don wigs, a fashion was born, and the trend spread throughout society, including the merchant class.
That's a great question! It is highly likely that British colonial governors donned wigs, and many portraits of early American political discussions depict rooms full of men, many of whom have white hair, which is commonly assumed to be wigs. This was most likely the case prior to the American Revolution, though given the association of wigs with nobility, it is likely that not all patriots depicted with white hair were wearing human hair wigs wholesale at the time.
Contrary to popular belief, George Washington never wore a wig during his lifetime. He was one of five Presidents who had red hair, and he powdered it white because white hair was still considered extremely fashionable, as well as a sign of wealth and knowledge, at the time of his election. However, the next four Presidents, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe, all wore wigs during their tenures in office. Women, too, wore wigs, though the prevalence of wigs in the United Kingdom was not as widespread as it was in France, where women such as Marie Antoinette were well-known for their use of them.
A military officer's relationship with his wig was constantly changing, particularly in the British Army. The gentry, on the other hand, wore wigs, but they were very specific military plait wigs, not the wigs that were purchased and worn by the officers."Perukes were hot and heavy and extremely expensive, not to mention infected with bugs all the time," according to the Revolutionary War Journal, making them unsuitable for military purposes. Officers wore campaign wigs, particularly the Ramillies wig, which was named after a British victory during the War of the Spanish Succession in 1706 and was worn by the Ramillies regiment. This pigtail, or "queue," was tied near the scalp and at the bottom of a plait, and it was very short. However, while the original queues were made of a soldier's real hair, fake queues quickly became the standard. John C. McRae's painting The Courtship of Washington (1860) depicts George Washington with his hair styled in this manner. Enlisted soldiers, on the other hand, did not wear wigs in the same way that officers did, just as wigs were reserved for the gentry and not commoners. The British Army, for example, simply plaited or braided their hair if it was long enough, or wore fake plaits attached with ribbons, held together by grease or tallow, and covered in powdering flour, which was paid for out of their own pay and provided as part of the weekly ration.
