I'm writing a historical fiction novel set in 1765-1775 Boston. Just as a matter of research in case it comes up, I wanted to know a bit about the use of these powdered wigs we always see in portraits. I was able to find some information about the fad but not the specifics I seek.
I would like to know who wore them (was it an every man thing in the colonies or strictly a specific demographic). I would also like to know when people wore them (was it restricted to portrait time, work or church). For example, if you bumped into Samuel Adams on the street mid-Tuesday, would he have a powdered wig on realistically or could the scene dispense of it?
I very much appreciate any help you can give me on the topic.
I previous wrote about a slightly later hairstyle trend called a la victime which mentions the wig usage practices, particularly in France. However, in Boston in the years leading up the war, it would depend on your profession as to whether you had a wig or not & whether it was powdered or not. The barrister's wig is a pretty famous example of a specific type of wig for a profession and does date back to the 18th century.
Women didn't really need to wear wigs until the 1770's - the era of big hair. Before that, the hairstyles are lovely but not the towering cascades of hair piles up three feet in the air that we typically think of when we think 18th C nobility. So, there wasn't a real reason for women to have wigs. However, once the 1770's come about, noble women shaved their heads just like their brothers, fathers, and husbands. More here on that
Edit: Fixed the link.
I probably should add that wigs weren't just full wigs. Both men and women would add hair to compliment their own. The term curly cue actually comes from the curly ponytail men would add to the back of their hair to give it more fullness & length (think sort of like a hair extension today). Women would add braids and curls to their own hair.
Some more information here with an enlarged picture of a cue (or queue) here
Edit: And here is a period reprint of some additions to add to a woman's hairstyle
To add to isabelladangelo: even some important men did not wear wigs. Thomas Jefferson had red hair that was quite attractive, and perhaps for that reason just tied it back, and didn't wear a wig. You have to remember that the fashion was started by Louis XIV, who began to wear a wig after he'd lost his hair.
Wigs were also often taken off, in informal circumstances, and a kind of cap used to cover the bald head. It's very common to see philosophes portrayed with these caps, like David Hume. You can see portraits of him here both in a wig and in a cap. Benjamin Franklin ( whose portraits seldom show him in a wig) made a huge impression as ambassador to France by wearing his own Colonial version of that kind of cap, made of fur.
