Master Hairdressers

[Annbee]

A fascinating thread. Only male hairdressers seem to figure so I'm not optimistic I'll hear answers to my query about hairdressers.

To be a female hairdresser, in her own business, would that be unusual in the 1890s to early 1900s?

My great Aunt wasn't described as Master Hairdresser but she did run a shop in Bradford where hairdressing seemed the main game and tobacco was also sold. She was a stay at home wife until her husband went bankrupt and disappeared in the 80s, leaving her with 3 small children.

She was a milliner before she married, her Warwickshire parents had been well off but fallen on hard times and had died when she was young, so I assume she had grit.

I have no idea if she did an apprenticeship in hairdressing; with 3 toddling infants, husband's debts to pay and running a failing tobacconist shop, it doesn't sound as if she'd have the time!

But she managed to turn things around, presumably by introducing hairdressing.

Her eldest son also became a hairdresser too. (He died too young, shortly after his mother, from depression it sounds like.)

Does anyone else have a female hairdresser working in the 1890s? And know anything of their work practice?

[ResearchJu]

The Hairdressing Journals are held/or can be viewed at the British Library in London.  Unfortunately the Library had a cyber attack in October 2024 and this has affected their services.  You need to go to the Library first to get a Reader Card taking documents to prove your identity https://www.bl.uk/research/reader-pass/.  Then you can order the Hairdressing Journals which come in Yearly books but this has to be done on a separate visit https://bl.libguides.com/requesting!.  They are quite interesting and hold information about obituaries, bankruptcies and articles along with adverts.  You are only able to order 6 years worth as one order and up to 4 orders, if that makes sense.  I have been once and looked up a couple of years but hoping to go back and research more. 

My training was in London and I achieved Master Craftman status and  spent many years traveling the world competing for the UK (as well as running a business).

My mother also a Master craftsman, was trained by Raymond Bessone ( known as Teasy Weasy and  Britain's first celebrity hairdresser) he had a salon in Soho, he also trained people like Vidal Sassoon and I remember both of them very well as both along with their families spent time at our home over the years.

However there is no hairstylists prior to my mother in my ancestry, my mothers God mother was one as was her husband, so I think my mothers inspiration was from them.

The Hairdressers Journal was THE magazine which was/is a source of information for the industry, anyone who was/is anyone in the industry will be in that and it has been in print monthly for at least 100yrs so if you can find out where they are archived that will be a good sources