Basic Braiding Class Notes part deux...

My GOD!  I didn't realize how much space the pictures take up!  The first two thirds of my notes, which I posted earlier, two up two pages.  The last third of my notes takes up seven pages because it is so photo heavy. And there's a bibliography.... cause you know I have to cite all the sources on the internet that I stole photos from.  I think the part that took the longest was the very last section on hair taping, because the one and only website that EVERYONE cites has disappeared.  Gone, and all her research too.  Therefore I had to hunt around to find any kind of portraits of hair taping.  I decided to just go with the lovely Italian sources from Realm of Venus, and forgo Flemish and Elizabethan because it took me five or six hours to find the ones I did!

Below you'll find the second half of my notes, with all the photos yoinked from elsewhere included, so long as they didn't give me any grief.  (Sorry, there's only so much fussing with the photos I'm willing to do at this hour)

Basics of Hair Braiding,

Or “Just Get It Off My Neck”

Lady Petronia Casta

Once you’ve got the supplies you need together, what styles are there that are historically accurate?  PIGTAILS!  That’s right, braided pigtails are accurate for almost any time and

place the SCA covers.  The earliest example I’ve found is a carved stone, called a hogback, in the St. Michael’s churchyard in Lowther Park in Cumbria.  These sculptures are used as grave markers.  Collingwood mentions these monuments show that Lowther was settled in the tenth century by Danes from Yorkshire, Christianized Vikings².

The women have long plaits of hair which are curled at the ends.  Most women have only a single braid, but others are clearly depicted with two.  I don’t know if the curled ends of the braid indicate curly hair, curled hair, a decorative knot as a tying off method, or are simply artistic license.  In some of the carvings texture of braiding can still be seen.

The next instances of braided pigtails come from the 12^th and 13^th centuries and are some of the most iconic braids in our period.  Bliauts have become the dominant fashion for France and surrounding countries³.  The tall, thin body image is reflected in the long thin braids framing both face and body.  Most instances of this hairstyle is shown with a minimum of headcovering, crowns are most frequent on the jamb statues of Chartres, which depict kings and queens of the Old Testament.  The image from an Italian fresco shows the ladies wearing a hat that looks a lot like a Phrygian cap.  These braids are often very long, hip to mid-thigh in length, and some appear to have tassels or weights added to the tips to keep the braids pulled taught.  Occasionally, as in the image from the Winchester Psalter⁴, the ends of the braids may be covered in a long fabric tube.  This could be for several reasons, including protecting the hair, but such a style is an excellent way to fake longer hair than one owns.

Chartres Cathedral
1210-1215³

Provins, St. Thibaut,
1160-70³

Madonna of Viklau,Church of Viklau, Sweden³

    

                              

                                                   

from the Winchester Psalter,  1160-1170⁴ 

The Lovers ca.1180, Hortus Deliciarum⁵ 

              

                                                                                     

A fresco depicting the story of "the foolish virgins" from Castel d'Appiano in Trentino Alto Adige, Italy, 1125³

Joan Ingham, Lady Stapleton c.1365⁷

The 14^th century is the beginning of strange new hairstyles, and more attention being paid to arranging the hair.  The braids begin to be looped up next to the face in various styles, mostly a narrow, vertical braid on either side of the face descending, or appearing to, from the temples.  This style is known by several names, templers or cornettes, though it is affectionately called puppy dog ears or lamb ears.  The hair is still parted in the center, and two braids are created.  The thickness of the braids on either side of the face seems to indicate that the braids are formed at the temples and are folded once they reach chin length.  After this, the ends of the braids disappear.  If we believe that the length of hair is similar to previous centuries, this does not seem to accommodate the full length of the hair.  In the image from The Romance of Alexander we see the back view of a couple ladies in a circle dance.  The braids that descend from either side of the face are also crossed at the nape of the neck⁶.  I’m unsure whether or not this is the method for all of this period’s hairstyling, as many images are either covered with a veil, or are front facing.  While often seen with a bare head, the cornettes style is frequently adorned with a veil and wimple, a veil and elaborate fillet or a hood of various styles.  A false hairpiece in this style has been found, made of human hair and is attached to a tablet woven band⁸.

Philippa of Hainault
Westminster Abbey⁷

                             

Sir John Harsyck & Katherine

Calthorpe, Southacre, c.1384⁷

(There should be two more pictures here, but I'm having trouble getting them to load)

 Lady with Swan Coat of Arms, 

Martin Schongauer c. 1450/1491⁹

Braided and arranged pigtails show up once again in 15^th century Germany.  In this arrangement, the hair is parted down the center, appears to be braided at the nape of the neck, and wrapped around the head.  The two large braids pass in front of, and cover the ears.  The braids are joined at the top of the head, most likely by sewing the braids together and through the hair of the scalp.

Many of these braids are extremely thick at their bases, which could mean the hair was dense or curly, teased to achieve that volume, or the presence of false hair.  This style is frequently accented by all sorts of crazy hats, as the Germans are wont to do.                  

Kissing Couple. Master E.S.
c. 1450/1466. ⁹

Lady with Radish Coat of Arms. Master of the Housebook. c. 1475/1500⁹

                             

Portrait of a Young Fürleger with Her Hair
Done Up. Albrecht Dürer. c. 1497⁹

 The Letter B. Master E.S.

c. 1466/1467⁹

The last form of pigtails I want to cover is one you might be familiar with, Hair Taping.  This style is most commonly thought of as Italian, but is also used in Flemish and Elizabethan styles as a sturdy base for coifs and headdresses.  In this style, a ribbon is used instead of sewing thread to secure the hair in a halo around the head.  Begin by parting the hair down the center and starting your pigtails as close to the part as you can.  This allows your braid to extend as far as it can around your head, and that keeps the thickness of the halo as consistent as possible.  I use the elastic ponytail holders for the end of these braids, but sewing them with a thread would be more secure as well as more authentic.  Then thread the large blunt needle with a ribbon, ¼” works well, about 2 yards long.  Push the needle through the ends of the braids, a couple passes before the tie off.  Wrap the braids around the head so there is a loop of ribbon that connects the two tails underneath their starting point.  Then, gently pull the ribbon taught, adjust it so you have one short end and one long one, and tie it in a knot at the nape of your neck.  Thread the needle onto the long end and sew the braids in place by pushing the needle under the braids toward the center of your head.  Continue stitching from outside to the inside advancing around the braid by about 1½ to 2 inches.  Once you’ve reached the back again, wrap the remaining ribbon around either the base of the braid, or, for a different look, lay it against the center of the braid to flatten it down.  Other Italian decorative methods include tying bows around the braid and jeweled trim in front of the braid.

Portrait of a Woman

Girolamo da Carpi, c1530¹⁰

Portrait of a Lady

Moretto da Brescia, 1540¹⁰

Isotta Brembati Grumelli
Giovanni Batista Moroni, 1550s (?)¹⁰

“Portrait of a Lady”, by a follower of

Paolo Ucello, first half of the 15th century

Bibliography

¹ Miller, M.E. “The Bobby Pin Revealed.” http://www.nyu.edu/classes/bkg/objectsblog/archives/bobby.pdf

² Collingwood, W.G. "The Lowther Hogbacks." Transactions of the Cumberland & Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society, Volume 7. (1907) pp. 152-164. 

³ ingen Dairmata, Aibell. “The Bliaut throughout 12th Century Europe.” http://www.eg.bucknell.edu/~lwittie/sca/garb/europe_class/europe_bliaut.html

⁴ Esther. “Bliaut-A 12th century court gown.” http://www.gelfling.dds.nl/bliaut.html

⁵ Hortus Deliciarum copy of Christian Maurice Engelhardt, 1818 http://bacm.creditmutuel.fr/HORTUS_DELICIARUMbas.html

⁶ Scull, Judith. “Examples of Women’s Clothing.” http://vieuxchamps.com/persona/wgarb2.php

⁷ All images owned by Gothic Eye Ltd. are subject to copyright and must be credited as such on reproduction. http://www.gothiceye.com/index.asp

⁸ Elina© Neulakko 2010 http://www.neulakko.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Cornettes_final_neulakko.pdf

⁹ Smith, Emmie. “15th Century German Visual and Extant Resources (1450-1500).” Eme’s Compendium. http://www.gluckliche-eme.com/15thcentury.htm

¹⁰Wake, Annabella. http://realmofvenus.renaissanceitaly.net

¹¹http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Follower_of_Paolo_Ucello_001.JPG

Basic Braiding Class...

Working on a Hair Braiding class for the camping event this weekend.  I'm two thirds of the way through my outline, and want to pat myself on the back for finally sitting down and figuring out what needs to be in the class without begging someone else to do it "with" me.

Here's the first two pages of my notes, let me know what you think:

Basics of Hair Braiding,

Or “Just Get It Off My Neck”

Lady Petronia Casta

So today I’m to teach you about Period Braided Hairstyles.  Show of hands, who knows how to braid?  Okay, and who knows how to french braid?  Okay, those that don’t know how to French braid, you’re just fine.  Most research I’ve come across says that augmentation braiding, where you add a new section of hair to the braid strands with each pass, isn’t correct for the SCA’s period.  I have one resource that uses French braids for a Roman hairstyle, but that technically predates our period.  And for most of the styles I plan to share with you today, you don’t need to know how to french braid.

But you do need to know how to braid, and if those that know will bear with us, those that don’t know how should come to the front.  The hardest part of braiding is to divide the hair into three equal sections.  Hair is less dense at the ends than at the scalp, due to breaking, cutting and styling.  Proper sectioning is a learned skill; you get better at it the more often you do it.  Sections of hair from the forehead and temple areas will get smaller than sections from the center back and nape as you work your way down the length of the braid, so those front sections should be larger went you start.  After dividing the hair, cross the right section to the center, thereby trading places with the center section.  Cross the left hand section over the new center section, trading places again.  Continue down the length of the braid, alternating right and left sections.

The braid will diminish in size as you travel the length of it, and at some point it will become difficult to continue braiding.  This is usually the point where you want to tie off the braid.  Sometimes a larger tassel of hair is desired, and you can tie off earlier than that if desired.

Tying off a braid brings me to the next section of my notes: Materials, or what you’ll need in a braiding kit.  For the most basic of braiding styles, you will need only some way of tying off the end of your braid so that it doesn’t unbraid itself.  People with extremely curly hair can sometimes avoid even that, as their hair ends will curl together and seal the braid.  For the vast majority of us though tying off requires something else.  Modern elastics are a wonderful item as far as time and convenience are concerned.  A large bag of clear elastics will set you back $2 or so, and last through scores of hairstyles.  They tend to hide well enough in period hairstyles and for the most part are easily ignorable.

  

Other items that should be included in a braid kit include methods of securing the braids into the elaborate styles of the later eras.  This is a bobby pin.  This is completely useless when it comes to working with braids.  Bobby pins pinch the hair to hold it in place, and are only useful for loose hair.

Hair pins are U shaped bits of wire with the tips coated to not snag hair.  They come in a variety of sizes, colors, materials to accommodate all types of hair.  These are the pins that you want to use for hair styling any thing that involves braiding, twisting, buns or tight styles.  They work by tension in the hair.  The pins are given a little pinch or a twist as they’re inserted so they exert pressure against the tightness of the hair.  However, natural movement of the head can cause the pins to work their way out

Hairpins are relatively modern, being mass manufactured heavily in the 19^th century.  The more accurate method for tying off braids and securing tresses is to use a large eyed, blunt needle and thread to sew through the hair.  The tension of the tight hair allows the thread to hold it in place, braced against the next section of the braid.  Thus the thread can replace both the elastic band and the hair pins, becoming a much more efficient and more stable method of securing the hairstyle.  The difficulty with sewing ones tresses is trying to sew something you cannot see and is on the back of your head.  Thus most hairstyles requiring sewing are likely to indicate a higher ranking individual, someone that can afford servants to do their hair.  It is possible to sew one’s own hair, just difficult.

The next few items in the braiding kit are not precisely necessary, but are damned useful.  A variety of brushes and combs are useful to have if working on different textures of hair.  The comb can also be used to section hair, especially if you own a rattail comb.  Another tool that is great for dividing hair is a set of hair sticks, chopsticks or hair bodkins.  These historical hairpins are also great to the hold hair out of the way when working on a section.  And the final “items” in a braiding kit are all the decorative elements that are used to adorn the final hairstyle.  Ornamental hairsticks are nice to dress up simple styles as well as hold things in place.  I try to always keep stocked on pearl headed corsage pins to use for pinning veils and for simple decoration.  I’ll also keep a couple cheap spools of ribbon for hair taping.  The list of decorative bits gets long and sometimes random; just make sure to clear out the superfluous junk every so often.

Comfy costuming

Having attended DragonCon for the past 3 years, I have learned the following if nothing else;

1)Time spent not in costume feels like time wasted
2)Time spent suffering from a costume feels like hell


The first, I think, is relatively self-explanatory. I pay a lot of money to attend those 4 days of D*C, which more often than not is the only 4 days a year I get to spend with most of my costumer and/or fandom friends. I want to get in every second of geeky goodness I can!

The second will likely make sense to most anyone, but only someone who's ever been there will really feel my pain. Cons, renaissance festivals and SCA events put us in different physical and emotional situations than our normal 9-5, the practical upshot being that discomfort tends to get magnifed exponentially. Tall heels, heavy costumes, tightly laced corsets and tons of layers can be worn fairly easily for a short photo session in air-conditoned comfort, but those little twinges of discomfort can and will turn into surprisingly severe pain and soreness. Don't get me wrong, you'll pry my 4" heels out of my cold dead hands, but I can only take them for so long before they start to get painful, so wearing them all day and night while doing a lot of standing, walking, posing, dancing and socializing just isn't going to happen.

I mentioned rennaisance festivals and SCA events in with cons, but there's an important distinction to be made on the subject of comfort, I think. While I do have minimum standards of comfort for a con costume, and do limit the amount of time I spend in anythng I'm going to pay for later, my SCA philosophy is much different, largely because the activities and settings are so different. I spend my cons in hotel rooms, restaurants, bars and ballrooms. I spend my SCA events in camps (that I help set up), kitchens (that I'm often running), parties and gatherings (I usually had a hand in planning, or at least have offered assistance with) and spaces that I, as an attendee, am expected to help set up, maintain and clean. In short, I have things to do at SCA events that just can't be done in white satin, no matter how much I love it.

Anyway, practical upshot of all the above is that I've decided to spend some time focusing on con costumes that, while not frumpy or unflattering, are comfortable enough to be worn all day. I'll do a seperate post for each for ease of keeping my thoughts straight (especially when I go back and do a write-up for each), but the above is pretty much my philosophy for all of them.