Although I adore vintage and antique goodies, I am very "modern" in the sense that I have no romantic or idealized notions about living/wanting to live in the past. Life [particularly for women] was pretty awful up until the last half of the 20th century, and I have no desire to relive the difficulty and complications of the female world of bygone eras.
That said, I do have an affinity for fashion, jewelry, and hairstyles of the past. I often imagine being the acquaintance of some eccentric, wealthy figure who throws an annual masquerade ball -- I would then have the excuse to hire a master coiffurist to spend half a day turning my hair into a bejeweled hair sculpture, so intricate and voluminous that I would have stoop down to fit through doorways. Here are some delightful possibilities:
Does anyone else have these bizarre imaginings? I suppose I should be grateful it is just a fantasy and not a prerequisite for proper womanhood anymore. Really, thank goodness the coiffure is dead...but the occasional masquerade seems fun [and might remind us how far we've come?].
[All images from the NYPL Digital Archives]
[All images from the NYPL Digital Archives]
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