Photo Sharing Theme of the Week: Hairstyle

+13 votes
1.6k views

This week's photo sharing theme: Hairstyle.

To participate, simply:

  1. Choose a family photo that fits this week's theme.
  2. Add it to this week's free-space gallery.
  3. Reply with an answer below to let us know which photo you're sharing. If you want to include the photo but don't know how, click here.

The photo you share might be featured on the WikiTree home page and in our social media channels as next week's Family History Photo of the Week.

If you use a social network (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) you might want to share your photo there as well. This can be a great way to involve more family members. Many people love seeing old family photos. Be sure to add #52weeksofphotos and #wikitree to your post.

Also see: Profile Accuracy Theme of the Week: Cousin Bait.

in The Tree House by Eowyn Walker G2G Astronaut (2.4m points)

22 Answers

+21 votes

My great-great-gradmother, Eva Marguerite Schryver Jones, taken presumably in 1917 when she got married. Eva died when my great-grandma Dorothy was about two, which was very upsetting, as she & her husband, by all accounts, had been deeply in love (they were both very young when they were wed).

This particular photo has always been a slight source of amusement to my mother & I, thanks to the somewhat outrageously large bow she has in back of her hair

by Thomas Koehnline G2G6 Pilot (102k points)
Great pic!
That's an amazing bow!
Lovely photo, lovely woman. It's too bad that she died so young. I also have a photo of my husband's aunt from the same time period in which she is wearing similar bows. Perhaps it was a style of the day. Thank you for posting this photo of your great-great grandmother.
So cool!
Your great-great grandmother is beautiful, Thomas!
She was beautiful. It is always sad when someone dies so young. And, I like the bow.
Can't say I'm a fan of the bow, but she does have a beautiful face. She also looks to be quite tall, do you know if she was? I find the lace-up boots an interesting choice for a wedding dress. I'm not certain, but I think in 1917, it would have been unacceptable to have the legs/ankles exposed.

Thank you all for the nice words- I concur, Robin, that it seems to have been common in some areas during the period; just how fashion works, I guess (I've never been attuned to fashion, both current & historical, myself- lol).

Her face bears a great resemblance both to her mother, & to my great-grandma Dorothy, I think, as well as my own mother, which constitutes all the known members of my maternal line except my grandmother, who looked more like her father.

Bryan- I am not certain how tall Eva was, but I'd agree that she was certainly taller than average, as can be discerned from this photo:

Not exactly the best quality, but that's Eva with LeRoy, her husband, & my great-grandmother, likely around 1921. LeRoy was 5'6", which I believe may have been around average during that time for men, whereas Eva seems taller; she could be wearing higher shoes, but regardless I think it's likely safe to say she was above the average for their time.

As for the rest of the outfit, I'm no expert; it'd be interesting to see what insight others have into it.

+18 votes

My great grandmother Elizabeth with a hairstyle typical of the time. She was born in 1892 in Scotland

by Elizabeth Randerson G2G6 Mach 1 (10.1k points)
Your great grandmother was very beautiful. I like the needlework on her dress. Thank you for posting this photo.
Thank you! I love the intricacy of the clothes from that time. People probably owned only a few outfits but what quality in some of the pieces !
Very stylish even today!
I love the hand work on her dress, she is beautiful.
The material of her dress looks tome like a heavy cotton, and I noticed the open neckline is not open at all. I do like her hair.
+14 votes

This is one of my favourite photos, which I at first thought was a man with a child. Here are two soldiers of unknown nationality at Stalag XX A  in Poland labelled "Lofty Taylor" and "Dixie Dean". They have matching boots, matching uniforms, those gelled back matching hairstyles (wink) and then of course the rather ridiculous height difference. 

Sadly I don't know how tall either of them were but I would think that they must have been amongst tallest and shortest prisoners respectively.

by David Smith G2G6 Mach 7 (76.9k points)
The short one was most likely a gunner like my uncle!
That looks like all the photos of me with anyone, I'm always the shortest one.
Very Interesting.
You are funny! Stacie! Ha Ha Ha.  You just need to look for shorter friends!
+18 votes

This is a photo taken in 1898 of my grandmother Pearl McCleery and her best friend, who was also named Pearl. They liked to do so many things together that they were called the Two Pearls. They must have enjoyed having the same hairstyle and getting their photo made together. My grandmother is on the right.

by Alexis Nelson G2G6 Pilot (842k points)
Alexis you are welcome to take it and make a beautiful poem for them. I always wanted to be a poet, but I am not good at it.
There once were two little girls.

They called themselves the Two Pearls.

They’re now on WikiTree

For three hundred to see.

And they get comments about their long curls.
Yay, Alexis!! You're a wonderful poet! I love the poem.
Thank you Robin, maybe I need to stay with Limericks.
ah, I've always had a passion for limericks! A great conclusion
Alexis I like it you are a poet.
Alexis I love it too. This is the first photo I thought of but then I remembered I had used it already.
Nice picture, nice poem.

Alexis!  Has this happened before, where you get so many comments on your post you can't read them before Dinner Time?

Yes Scott, and I put on some pony photos for your question in Nov 2018.
+18 votes

Bill AsbreyI have chosen this photo of my husband's cousin Bill Asbrey taken about 1930. I bet he didn't enjoy having those curls combed but they're totally adorable!

by Gillian Loake G2G6 Mach 5 (59.0k points)
What a precious child! Thank you for sharing this photo, Gillian. Bill looks so sweet and happy.
It's this kind of adorable cuteness that makes grown ups pinch those little cheeks!
My mom didn’t have a girl until her third child ten years after she married so my brother and I had long curly hair when we were young! Cute kid!
Betsy, it's that kind of "adorable cuteness" that made my sons wish they did not have curly hair. John remembers trying to flatten his curls with a rolling pin.
Totally adorable not just the curls also, the eyes and smile.
Sorry, I had to laugh out loud. That is so cute. Not sure if it's one of Bill's favorite pictures though... probably the one picture mom pulled out whenever Bill brought home a new girlfriend.
+11 votes

My mother, Betty Dodge, always had beautiful hair, but she rarely wore it up. But in this photo, probably taken around 1951, she has apparently spent a bit of time curling (probably with pin curls) and styling her hair into this interesting hairstyle.

by Robin Shaules G2G Astronaut (1.5m points)
Robin, I love this photo of your mother. I love her hairstyle, her dress and the red lipstick. It is exactly the time that so many of us can relate to in our childhood memories.
Thank you, Alexis. When I see photos of my mother when she was younger, she always seems to be dressed and made up perfectly. By the time she had four children, those days were left for 'special' occasions, and she wasn't always quite so glamorous (but she was always beautiful to me).
Robin what a amazing photo of your mother, she looked amazing

Her hair look a million, I have seen photos of your mother before I always think she look like a filmstar

Thank You Robin for sharing this wonderful photo
Thank you, Susan! And my mother would thank you too. You're always so kind in your comments.
Very fancy hair, that had to have taken some time to do.
Thanks, Stacie. I expect with her hair done up, the earrings, and the make-up, that something special was going on. I was either not born yet or an infant, so I don't know what that was.
Your mother's hair looks so elegant, love the dress too!
Thanks, Gillian. One thing I noticed, on closer inspection, is that this photo was taken at my grandparent's in Colorado, and I think there is snow on the ground and on the hills behind, and she is dressed like it's summer -- though I love the dress too.
She's both gorgeous and elegant. Now, about that car... I thought it was a 1954 Mercury but the grill work is not quite correct.
Thank you, Bryan, for the nice comments about my mother. It is a Mercury, but I think it's probably earlier than 1954. But I could be wrong thinking the photo was from '51. I know we had that car in '54-55.
It's a '51 Mercury Woodie Wagon.
Thanks, Scott. That fits in with the date I thought the photo was from.
+13 votes

This my great uncle's family. Ladies and Gents hairstyles.

by Deborah Campbell G2G6 Mach 3 (32.6k points)
A wonderful photo, Deborah!
Wow what a magnificent photo I absolutely love this photo

Thank you for sharing this
This is a great photo!! Do you know what the approximate year is?
I will take the one in the middle down front...that is the way my mom combed my hair!
Based on the youngest boy there who was born in 1896.I would say abt 1902 maybe
Very nice hair and all dressed up. They look good.
Wow! what a great family photo!!
+13 votes

My grandmother Hattie Smith, her sister Laura, and their friend Gertrude Adams did up their hair, put on their best dresses, and went to the photographer for a picture for their mothers.

by Joyce Vander Bogart G2G6 Pilot (198k points)
Oh I love this one!  I wonder what kind of hair products they used then to help give their hair volume and set the styles
Joyce what a sweet photo of your grandmother her sister and friend

The all have magnificent hair and look adorable

Thank you for sharing

Their secret? A hair ratt, a pillow or cushion made of their own hair. Here's more information.

Such a cool photo Joyce is that your grandmother on the right?

They look beautiful. The girl in the front looks like a cousin of mine. Ellie Franks/Smith

Really great photo and interesting background information too!
Stacie, this picture was taken in Stephentown New York, about 1910. The woman in front is Gertrude Adams, but when I posted this picture, I realized I know nothing further about her. Do you think Ellis might be related to her, or to the Smith family from New Lebanon?
Smith is her married name. She was born in Mexico to John Franks and Emily Huffman both of them are from Texas. The Franks and Huffmans are in Texas from the early to mid 1800s. If they are related it would probably be a distant relationship.
They were the "Farrah Fawcett"s of their day.
The resemblance is striking!  Better check it out, could be a cousin!
+7 votes

Pretty plain and simple hairstyles for my aunts, grandmother, and great grandmother. https://www.wikitree.com/photo.php/9/95/Weinheimer-60-4.jpghttps://www.wikitree.com/photo.php/9/95/Weinheimer-60-4.jpg

by Mark Weinheimer G2G Astronaut (1.2m points)
Thank You Mark for sharing this amazing photo of your wonderful family it is amazing
They may look simple, but that simple look could some take time and care to get it done. They all look so nice in the photo.
Is that a huge bush or some kind of flowering tree behind them?
Yep!  Just a plain and simple family Mark!  Just kidding, but your family did like to visit Delaware Park, right?  A great place for a great family photo!
They lived in the park, at 1263 Elmwood Avenue.  My grandfather was superintendent of the park.  He was responsible for the park, its greenhouses, the grounds at the zoo. and for floral plantings on the parkways.  He was often asked to do special arrangements of plants and flowers for city events.  I loved the greenhouses as a young boy.  My favorite part was the fish pools, with the Koi in them.  My grandparents and my father were devastated, when the greenhouses and house were demolished to make way for a parking lot for the new wing of the Albright-Knox.
+10 votes

This is my Uncle Andy as a baby - love the updo....

He grew up to be quite a heart throb, too.

by s Davenport G2G6 Mach 6 (65.9k points)
So so adorable. My girls all had that updo.
Soooo Adorable! Like a mini Mohawk! : )
An UPDOO!  I don't remember having one! lol  I love it...and later on so did all the girls!
+13 votes

I'm going against the trend here with a photo of my worst hair day ever.  My mother said that I was born with a big mop of hair.  She desperately wanted to neaten it up but the pediatrician said that they had to wait a bit to take me for my first hair cut.  

by Betsy Ko G2G6 Pilot (136k points)
Betsy, you are precious, and your hair is darling. What a sweet photo.
Betsy, you are so cute! Thank you for sharing this photo.
Betsy wow you really look adorable, thank you for sharing this amazing photo
When I was born, I had hair that stuck up like that. They said my head looked like a coconut..
I think that was a good idea because you are too cute.
Thanks for all for the sweet comments; they really brightened my week!

Betsy Ko the Rocker!  Such a cutie!  I like it...especially against the trend!  You took a chance and it all worked out...and the winner is?

+14 votes

This week was a little hard at first. I had the perfect photo, but then remembered I had already used it. Then my second choice I had already used the profile. I came across this picture and thought I would share it this week. This is me at age 4. My mom is a beautician and she always had my hair looking good.  I will be working on my profile this week, George-5790.

by Stacie Briggs G2G6 Mach 2 (29.8k points)

Here is one more I was 5 in this one.

Thank you, Stacie, for sharing this photo. You must have been a patient child... and so cute too.
Stacie you look adorable, your hair are gorgeous

Thank You for sharing this wonderful photo
Stacie, these are wonderful! How adorable!

We may slip one into the newsletter tomorrow.
Lovely photo and what a smile!
This hairdo is worn today by gals in their 30s--it's so cute! And u look precious in it!!!                                                              : )
Aw, makes my heart melt.
Such a great hairstyle...and your Mom?..a great beautician!  Beautiful shot Stacie!
Robin, I don't know about patient, it made me fill grown up.
Thank you  all for the sweet comments.
+11 votes

The photo shows the older sister of my mother-in-law Thea Gisela Poggensee (b. 1931) on her first day of school Eastern 1937 at the elementary school in Seth, Kreis Segeberg, Schleswig-Holstein, Deutschland.

by Dieter Lewerenz G2G Astronaut (3.1m points)
Dieter thank You for sharing this wonderful photo it is so cute
She is so cute and she has beautiful eyes.

I like her pig tails!...or can I say that anymore?

+9 votes

In the 1950s I spent time with my grandmother, Oma M Allison-Rammel (1895-1996), and my Aunt, Catherine Ann Rammel (1928-2017), at their cabin a few miles from Escanaba, Michigan.  This was a on the northern tip of Lake Michigan.

They were both school teachers ... so had the summer off! ... Anyway, while there for a couple of months each summer my aunt would give me her version of a "Hairstyle".  

For those old enough to remember the "Little Rascals" ... I was called "Alfalfa" the remainder of the summer.

by Bill Sims G2G6 Pilot (126k points)
That is a great hairstyle! Very 1950s.
Great story!! Also, wow your grandma lived to 101!!
My keyboard must have messed up again ... it very often mis-spells words ... my grandma, Oma, was really only 100 - (1895-1995) ... sorry about that?
Still amazing! She must have had some great stories to tell
I can see the Alfalfa resemblance a little. It must have been a nice cool hair cut for summer.
Is that the better half of Michigan?  Actually I think you kinda look like Alfalfa..he was my favorite!
definitely the better half ... the lower half is filled with racial, unemployment and general decay ... the upper half just lives the good life
+7 votes

Although my favorite hairstyles were the females in the 40's, I will choose my wife's great grandfather Louis E. Ahlert born 1874 and died in 1949.  Louis was married to Minnie Behring Haverkamp on July 2, 1899.  This a photo of Louie just before he married Minnie.  When I was a young boy, pomade or brilliantine (three roses?) was used by some.  Louis used it to perfection!

by Scott Lee G2G6 Mach 5 (59.9k points)
Lewis is certainly a dashing young man with his white bow tie, vest, watch on a chain, and hairstyle. Thank you Scott for sharing such a great photo.
Very stylish not a hair out of place, and a stylish suit vey handsome.
I like the photographer's logo...looks like a dollar sign!
+8 votes

This is my mother, Anna Mae Strange. Her mother died of tuberculosis in 1946 at the age of 31, leaving a husband with two boys and three girls aged 14-4. The two boys went to live with their uncle, while Anna and her younger sister went to live with their older sister, Louise. Louise had married at 15 after their mother died, and she took on the responsibility for raising her two sisters. Fast forward to 1949 and picture day at school. It was an exciting day and everything had to be perfect. Louise made mom a new dress to wear, adorned with dogwood buttons, and they woke up very early that morning to curl her normally straight black hair.

by Bryan Lawson G2G6 Mach 2 (21.3k points)
What a wonderful story. Thank you.
a really nice story, and the dogwood buttons, almost a fairy tale
I have a photo of my mom with the same curls around the same year. It was a very popular style. I love the dogwood buttons.
Dogwood Buttons!  I would have never guessed, but your mother, I think was an extremely attractive girl!  Of course I am partial to brunettes!....well, yeah, blondes too!
+6 votes

I don't know the significance of this group, other than that my maternal grandmother, Addie May Hammel (1886-1973), upper right, and her sister Bessie Frances Hammel (1888-1951), in front, are part of it. (The others are not family, and I mostly don't know their identities.) The photo was taken about 1905 at a studio in Albany, Oregon, USA. No interesting story behind the photo, I'm afraid, but definitely a variety of hairstyles on display!

by Lloyd Wright G2G6 Mach 3 (32.6k points)
what a cute group! in a few years they will cut their hair to be fashionable, as Bessie has already started, with that nice tuft on one side, which would be very current today
I bet there is an interesting story in there. I like that it shows different styles of the time. It is an interesting way they are posed. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for the comment, Gio. I may have been unclear about which one is Bessie. She is the one in the very front, leaning on the girls behind her (I'm not sure what that was all about). But the girl she is leaning on, on the right (who is the one I think maybe you thought was Bessie), does indeed have a surprisingly "modern" hairstyle.
oops, right! the two sisters are more alike. They have a sweet expression
Thank you for the comment, Stacie. It would be interesting to know the story behind this photo, for sure. This photo was in a photo album my grandmother Addie had in her late teens and early twenties, apparently. The album has very thick pages with pockets on each side, into which photos mounted on cards could be inserted. A few of the photos have names written on the back, a few are recognizable as family members, but many are of friends (I assume) who are unlikely ever to be identified.
The occasion doesn't really matter does it?  Just the fact that they are Oregonians is all that is needed here.  Albany is Beaver Country since it is so close to Oregon State U.  I spent a lot of my time in that region of Oregon although I am a web-footed Caveman that loves the Ducks!  Oh, yeah, great hairstyles!  Gotta be all family Lloyd!
LOL! Thanks for the comment, Scott. I guess you can be forgiven for being a Duck fan. ;-)
+5 votes

My 2x Great Grandfather, William Jarvis Smith had the most distinctive hairstyle, if you count beards as hair.

by Marion Ceruti G2G6 Pilot (351k points)
Very nice hair and striking eyes. His eyes are the first thing I noticed.
Hello Stacie, Thank you for sharing your observations. According to my grandmother Bird Smith Dawson, his only surviving son, my great grandfather Charles Pierson Smith, was a wonderful man who also had kind eyes. From what my grandmother said, both Jarvis and Charles Smith were good looking as well as being wonderful men. I am fortunate to have such good ancestors.

Yes, you are Marion!  Back in those days I would have had a beard too, especially if I had to shave with a Bowie knife! But today it is so easy to shave... and get a good nite's rest!  You are also fortunate to have this photo in your family photo album!

Hello Scott, Thank you for your reply. Shaving with a Bowie knife must have been challenging and must have required some skill. I have heard that one reason that men have had beards throughout history was the inconvenience of shaving. This happened in the Civil War, I believe. Also, more protection from sun and cold is better than less.

Other men have beards for religious reasons. Still others like to resemble Santa Claus. There is even an association of men who look like Santa Claus. They get dressed up every year in the appropriate outfit. It's cold at 90 North.

Still others like to have beards for stylish reasons.

Yes, I am fortunate in many ways. My grandmother and my cousins have done great work in documenting family history and genealogy. My grandmother collected photos and obit data, some of which are already on WikiTree profiles. One goal I have for WikiTree is to find more photos throughout the archives and post them on profiles.

+5 votes

Aunt Norah , my father's sister, circa 1915 in Cheltenham, England.   She married Rupert Lockhead, probably a diplomat, although as a child I was told not to tell anybody he was a spy.  Norah used to send me stamps from South Africa and Ceylon and now that I have the family archives I can read correspondence in which she refers to their travels in reference to "The Firm".                   

by John Thompson G2G6 Pilot (346k points)
Your Aunt Norah is a beautiful child, and that chair is magnificent. Thank you for sharing this photo, John.
Thank you John for sharing your Aunt Norah, looking at her photo makes one want to smile with her. Her story is wonderful; she certainly had a remarkable life.
Thankyou, Robin and Alexis.
That's so funny. Tell the kid, "Uncle Rupert is a spy, but don't tell anyone." How long would that remain a secret?
Aunt Norah is so cute the way she is posing for the photo.  She must be wearing her favorite bead necklace?  Back then having a photo taken was a special event on any day...even on the farm with a traveling photographer.  Today?  How are this kids going to have the time to look at all the selfies and photos they take with their phone throughout their lives?
She is beautiful, and that chair is too.
Joyce,  I kept it a secret 'til well after they retired.....I did! I did!
+6 votes

My grandmother, Irene Violet (McKenzie) Trewhella (1901-1991), https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/McKenzie-5464, and her young twin BROTHERS (Frank and Harold)!

circa 1913

P.S. She almost died of diptheria as a younger child, which left her with permanent damage to her larynx. Such a beautiful child - we always found her croaky voice quite amusing as children, then later so very endearing, particularly once we understood why it was so, and how lucky she was to survive!

Her brother Frank died in Syria in WW2.

by Christine Pike G2G6 Mach 5 (59.4k points)
edited by Christine Pike
Sorry, I don't know how to change size of photo displayed so it is not so big!
Christine,  If you edit your post, click the image box and replace the width number with 500 the height box will take care of it's self.
Thank you - so simple when you know how!

yes  And a BIG thankyou to those who helped me so that I could help you.......we really wanted to see the twins and your grandmother.

When my father was getting ready to go somewhere, he would always say, "I'll pull up my socks." Looks like no one thought to have these cute  children pull up their socks. Thank you for sharing this picture and story.
HaHa

Yes, probably their mother was horrified when she saw the photo.

But, just keeping them clean and getting them still in front of the camera was probably a massive feat!
Someone has taken good care of this family photo.  Just beautiful!  Perhaps Violet's larynx was permanently damage after years of yelling at little Frankie and Harold?
It is a wonderful photo of them, she was beautiful and lucky to have survived. My grandmother had polo as a child and she had one leg that was several inches shorter than the other. Her foot on that leg was also very small and turned under a bit, so when she walked it was on the side of her foot.
Thank you.

Yes, I think it's important to know something about the context and experiences of our ancestors to help us understand more about who they were, particularly since as children we were usually intentionally sheltered from the traumas and hardships they endured.

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