Lo Del Martin Dress Club Beauty Contest
In the study of African American history, the topic of hair may seem at first insignificant. However, the politics of hair has been written about and discussed by various African American scholars and authors, as it is linked with social and personal acceptance for African Americans.
The dominant cultural standards in the United States regard Anglo-Saxon features to be the norm and possessing Caucasian hair was considered highly desirable during the 1950’s emergence of the African American middle-class. The Eurocentric standards urged African Americans to alter the natural state of their hair in order to achieve the ideal look.
Portrait photograph of young lady identified as Miss Leatherman. Hair is styled with straightened hair and tight pin curls drawn to the sides.
The first portrait studio was opened in New York in March 1840 by Alexander Wolcott and John Johnson. The opportunity to pose for a studio was expensive, making portrait photography a symbol of social status and wealth (Hamilton, 2001, p. 32). Celebrities also became popular subjects to photograph at this time. The trend can be followed to the 1950′s era, when celebrities, magazines, and ads began to make a major impact on styles and fashion.
As post-war affluence gave rise to a growing middle class, demand increased for those interested in portrait and event photography. The Walter Lawrence Smith Photography Collection features individual and group portraits as well as graduation and wedding photos.
Here we will take a look at the people and their hairstyles to take a peek into the past. Is hairstyle just a choice, a tool available to climb a social ladder, or a voice of defiance?
Hamilton, P., & Hargreaves, R. (2001). The beautiful and the damned: The creation of identity in nineteenth century photography. Aldershot, Hampshire, [England]: Lund Humphries.
Patton, T. O. (2006). Hey Girl, Am I More than My Hair?: African American Women and Their Struggles with Beauty, Body Image, and Hair. NWSA Journal, 18(2), 24-51.
Rooks, N. (2008). Style and Status: Selling Beauty to African American Women, 1920-1975. The Journal of African American History, 93(4), 588-589.
Sherrow, V. (2006). Encyclopedia of hair: A cultural history. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press.
Tice, K. W. (2006). For Appearance’s Sake: Beauty, Bodies, Spectacle, and Consumption. Journal of Women’s History, 18(4), 147-156.
Young, C. (2003). Assimilation and Social Change Dynamics in African and African American Communities. Western Journal of Black Studies, 27(3), 164-175.
