At Art with Friends, we celebrate women’s contributions to art, culture, and history through events, online art history courses, and women travel groups. We were thrilled to host a talk with Elizabeth L. Block, art historian and author of Beyond Vanity: The History and Power of Hairdressing, as part of our Women Artists & Authors / Women Empowering Women series. This event was truly fabulous, offering new insights into the often-overlooked intersection of fashion, culture, and women's history.
Block’s research explores the power of hairdressing in the late 19th century, focusing on how women’s hair practices shaped identity and reflected broader social trends. Much like her previous book, Dressing Up, which examined the influence of wealthy American women on French fashion, Beyond Vanity looks at hair as a cultural symbol—full of meaning and value beyond mere aesthetics.
Hair as a Cultural Site of Meaning
Hair has long been a part of the conversation surrounding beauty and identity. Block’s Beyond Vanity delves into how hair was a vital cultural expression between 1865 and 1900 in the U.S., a time of profound change following the Civil War. From the use of hairdressing to signal social status to the practical implications of long, elaborate hairstyles, this book highlights how hair was far more than just fashion—it was an essential element of how women navigated their world.
Hair was often dismissed as ephemeral and frivolous, but Block argues that it was a deeply meaningful practice. Hairstyles were tied to both personal identity and larger cultural forces. For example, while aristocratic France had embraced voluminous wigs, the United States, with its republican ideals, leaned toward practicality. Women needed long hair to style updos, and the image of “ideal beauties,” like those depicted by Currier and Ives, emphasized this luxurious length.
Hairdressing Salons: Early Spaces of Female Empowerment
Block also explores how the rise of hair salons created a unique social space for women. Initially catering to the wealthy, salons became spaces where women could gather, bond, and care for themselves in an era when female spaces were limited. These salons were far more than beauty parlors—they were places of camaraderie, where women came together for hours to discuss life while getting their hair styled.
Block’s exploration of trade cards and advertisements—often beautifully colored and filled with marketing promises—gives insight into the products of the time. Brands like the Seven Sutherland Sisters became iconic for their long, wavy hair, using it to sell hair tonics and powders, much like today’s beauty influencers. Their image traveled across America, from small towns to big cities, making hair a powerful symbol of health, beauty, and femininity.
What We Learned from Beyond Vanity
Hair as Cultural Significance: Hairdressing in the 19th century U.S. was more than vanity—it was a symbol of identity, social status, and cultural meaning.
Women’s Spaces: Hair salons became early social spaces for women, offering a sense of community, empowerment, and self-care.
Marketing of Hair Products: Iconic figures like the Seven Sutherland Sisters used their hair to market products, laying the groundwork for today's beauty industry.
Historical Trade Cards: Advertising "trade cards" from the era reveal how hair was marketed and the rise of national brands.
Forgotten Icons: Women of color, like Madame C.J. Walker, played pivotal roles in shaping the history of hairdressing and beauty culture.
Hair as Memory: Victorian women created hair relics as keepsakes, emphasizing the deeper emotional and cultural value of hair.
Hair and Fashion: Block makes a case for studying hair as distinct from fashion, arguing that hairdressing deserves its own historical analysis.
Long-Lasting Impact: Many beauty trends and marketing strategies from the 19th century, like promoting hair health and appearance, are still relevant today.
Restoring Hair’s Place in History
One of the most compelling aspects of Beyond Vanity is Block’s insistence that hair, like fashion, deserves its place in cultural history. Women’s time spent on their hair, from styling to shampoo parties, reveals deeper truths about self-care and societal expectations. It’s also fascinating to see how some Victorian women used hair in ways we might not expect today—like creating hair relics to remember loved ones.
The book emphasizes that what may seem trivial or fleeting, like hair, is often deeply embedded in the fabric of culture and identity. Whether through salon culture, Victorian-era hair momentos, or the marketing of products like hair tonics, Beyond Vanity shows us that hair has always been a site of personal and collective meaning.
Why This Matters Today: Marketing and Personal Expression
We continue to see the echoes of these historical practices. The hair industry still markets products promising to restore and enhance beauty, often preying on insecurities just as 19th-century hair tonics did. Moreover, Block’s work reminds us that hair is a deeply personal and cultural expression, continuing to play a significant role in shaping identity.
Beyond Vanity offers a new way of understanding women’s history. It invites us to see the time and effort women have invested in their hair as a vital part of their daily lives and larger societal roles. It also highlights the contributions of women of color and trailblazers like Madame C.J. Walker, whose influence continues to shape the beauty industry today.
Join the Conversation: Online Art History Courses and Women Travel Groups
At Art with Friends, we are always eager to dive into conversations about art, history, and culture that help us better understand the lives of women across time. Elizabeth Block’s Beyond Vanity is more than just a book about hair—it’s a window into the broader cultural forces that shaped women’s lives in the 19th century and continue to resonate today. This event was part of our Women Artists & Authors / Women Empowering Women series, which celebrates the incredible stories of women throughout history.
We look forward to hosting more discussions like this, so stay tuned for future events and upcoming online art history courses by subscribing to our newsletter.
Raise a Glass to Women’s History! As we explore women’s contributions to art and culture, let's continue to raise a glass to the powerful, inspiring, and sometimes unexpected ways women have shaped history—one hairstyle at a time.
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