Posted on December 29, 2021
This is an update of my post published on December 29, 2010:
One of the most influential French women of her day, Jeanne Antoinette Poisson was born on this day in 1721. She became Marquise de Pompadour and great companion of King Louis XV, she aided some folks to gain more elevated positions in court, and she was a patroness of such intellectuals as Voltaire and Diderot. We are mostly familiar with her name, however, for a hairdo named after her!
A pompadour is a hairstyle in which hair is brushed up from the forehead, often into a clip or a roll. It is often achieved with the use of hair gel (or even, back in the day, with wax), with a pad or hair appliance that produces a “bump,” or by ratting some hair and then combing other hair high and over.
The thing that is odd is that Madame de Pompadour herself never wore her hair this way, nor were the popular hairstyles of her time related to what we now call the pompadour!
But hairdos before and after Madame de Pompadour’s time included the vertical-enhanced styles – sometimes quite exaggerated, like this old-time style:
…and this modern style:
In more recent times, Pompadour hairstyles have been associated with women in the 1940s, men in the 1950s – including Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash – Italian and Mexican Americans, Japanese gangs, and Conan O’Brien!
Learn about Hair History!
Take a quick tour of hair history with Bellatory.
- Ancient Egypt
- Ancient Greece
- Medieval Europe (plus this website on how to braid)
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Elizabethan Era
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1700s
- Victorian Era
- 1930s
- Other 1900s
- History of Ringlets
- Japanese Hairstyles
I grew up with long-straight hair –
with or without bangs – being in style.
And I still love the look!
Also, I love Cher
(pictured above and below)!
Also on this date:
Scientist Carl Ludwig’s birthday
(he’s a pioneer in the study of urine!)
Kulig in Poland
President Andrew Johnson’s birthday
Kulig in Poland
Anniversary of a language going extinct
Anniversary of a language going extinct
Birthday of Elizabeth of Russia
Anniversary of Texas’s statehood
Tick Tock Day
Anniversary of Emma Snodgrass being arrested for wearing pants!
Birthday of musician and molecular biologist Dexter Holland
Independence Day in Mongolia
Plan ahead:
Check out my Pinterest pages on:
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December holidays
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December birthdays
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Historical anniversaries in December
And here are my Pinterest boards for:
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January holidays
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January birthdays
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Historical anniversaries in January