Figure 1.-- This is a quarter plate cased ambrotype of an unidentified family. We think in the late-1850s. It is an example of the wild hair styles we occassionlly see. Note that the mother's hair is emaculatey done, in sharp contrast to her hubans ans son.Note that the boy's and man's pants and vests do not match the jackets. Also notice the boy's floppy bow, unusual at the time.

We see a few photographic portaits where boys and men have wild hair, either uncombed or combed by some one who had no real knowledge as to how to comb hair. Almost all of the examples are Dags and Ambros (1840s-50s). We do not see many examples of this wild hair, but there are enough to note. Now we might understand this with bachleors, although you would think the photographer might have interceeded here. Probably the most famous images with wild hair is those depicting John Brown, the famous insurrectionist/abolitionist, but mostly im paintings (1859). But we see this occasionally with boys, even boys with mothers present that had emacultely styled hair. So we do not understand just what was at play here. You would think that fashion concious mothers, if not insisting on a good comb for their husbands would certainly do so for their sons. We wonder if it might even been an abolitionist political statement.After the CDV appeared (1860s), we no longer see this wild hair.

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Created: 7:39 AM 2/17/2016
Last edited: 7:39 AM 2/17/2016