Wig

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Fine wigs were made of human hair that was "neither too coarse, nor too slender, the bigness rendering it less susceptible of the artificial curl and disposing it rather to frizzle, and the smallness making its curl too short." Less expensive wigs, like this servant’s wig from Venice, were made of horsehair, goat’s hair or even feathers. Wigs were powdered with scented flour, which adhered to the hair by means of grease or pomatum. The process of powdering was very messy, so special "powder rooms" were designed. Wigs could also be sent to the local wig maker to be recurled and powdered. Gentlemen must have always had a sprinkling of flour on the shoulders of their garments, a flaw usually omitted in contemporary portraits.

The Costume Institute

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Costume Institute's collection of more than thirty-three thousand objects represents seven centuries of fashionable dress and accessories for men, women, and children, from the fifteenth century to the present.

Metropolitan Museum of Art