Who Were They?

Two young men, one younger than the other, share this page in our Red Gem album.

It is unfortunate that these gems seem to tend toward off center, because I’d like to see the whole person. This young man, maybe an early teenager, has nicely slicked hair and a tidy suit. His bow tie is small above a dark colored coat. The unknown photographer tinted his cheeks to show the bloom of youth on his face.

This fellow has a slightly different tie than his page-mate. It is a style that tucked under the collar of his shirt, a style that was popular throughout much of the Victorian era. His hair, though, is what captures my attention. When a man has curly hair, it is sometimes difficult to keep it under control. Heck, when a woman has curly hair it is sometimes difficult to keep it under control, haha. Haircare products in the 19th century were nothing like they are today. Hair was pomaded and waxed with various treatments made with wax, grease, oil and various other preparations intended to bend the hair into the form the wearer desired. While they were often given fragrances to help an individual smell good, they still could be heavy and weigh down the hair. This particular gentleman does not appear to have used any sort of hair oil. His hair is really puffy! One wonders why he didn’t just cut it very short, but we must remember that men’s hair was worn a bit longer at this point in history. Prospective lady friends must have thought his hair was dreamy and romantic.