![]() The device also appeared in an article published in the October 1918 edition entitled “On Her Dressing Table,” which goes into explicit detail concerning the proper way to care for a young woman’s hair. In the December 1915 issue, a curling iron was advertised by The Bohn Electric Shop for $3.50 adjusted for inflation, the price today would be $81.88. Regardless, the popularity of the style has embedded itself in history and is easily recognizable as the hairstyle of the early 20th Century.Ĭurling irons also appeared in print media like American fashion magazine Vogue. Often these tongs “would become almost unbearably hot, often burning the hair, but the temperature could not be successfully regulated because if they were used when too cool the hair would not ‘set’” (Fellowes 77). He designed his own curling iron in 1890, which was a deviation of the original curling iron patented just a few years before. His iconic style, christened the Marcel wave, was “a style and beauty distinctively at variance with all other forms of hair-dressing” (Woodbury 51). In 1872, the first successful salon for women was opened in Paris, France by a man named Marcel Grateau (Stevenson 138). The first ladies’ hair salon was established in the 1600s, much to the chagrin of church leaders who believed that “male involvement in a female’s private toilette highly immoral” (Stevenson 138). While the curling iron was first patented in the 19th Century, the practice of hairstyling has been dated back to 2,000 BC (Stevenson 138). ![]() The inventor of the curling iron remains unknown, but the first known patent for the improvement of the design was given to Sir Hiram Maxim on Aug(Mottelay). The average length was about thirteen inches and the diameter could range from five-sixteenths of an inch to seven-sixteenths (“Advertisement: Bohn Electric Shop”). The handles were often made out of different types of wood, but there were also expensive models that had nickel-plated handles and floral embellishments. It was primarily warmed over a fire, but eventually was made electric and therefore safer to operate. Typically made of iron, a curling tong is a cylindrical metal appliance used to curl hair with heat. In Downton Abbey, the curling iron serves as a symbol of transition and its use emphasizes the need to embrace the changing traditions of the roles that women play as a result of World War I. Later, we see Anna practicing on her own hair, this time in her bedroom that she shares with Ethel. At the beginning of the episode, we see Anna curling Lady Mary’s hair before bed. We are first presented with the use of an electric curling iron in the third episode of season two of the series. Along with these aesthetic pleasures the viewer is able to experience this lifestyle in its more intimate aspects, such as a footman brushing his lord’s dinner jacket or a maid curling her lady’s hair. ![]() The t elevision series Downton Abbey is a paradise for aesthetes it is hard not to be enamored by the magnificently detailed costumes, the opulent furnishings, or the imposing façade of the estate. "Curling Irons and the Role of the New Woman" ![]()
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