The Pompadour Hairstyle

The Pompadour hairdo was named for 18th century noblewoman Mme. de Pompadour, even though no portraits of her seem to actually show her wearing such a style. It involves a large puff created at the front of the hairline. Wikipedia claims, "For women, the hairstyle has become marginally popular again in the first few years of the 21st century. It can be created by ratting at the roots of the hair on the sides of the pompadour towards the top of the head. Then the hair is combed up and over the ratted hair, off the forehead, the front up in a curl straight back, and the sides pulled back towards the center ... Often many hair-care products are employed in the creation of a pompadour. Commonly seen are wax and gel pomades, held in high regard for their durability. Sometimes they are created solely with the use of hair spray, hair gel, or even hair glue."

While the modern lady has the option of many fine and safe products to use for the sake of tangling and gumming up her hair into a form of pompadour, the Edwardians had another method for stablizing their tresses in the desired shape: the hair rat. This is created by either utilizing false hair, real hair (often carefully saved from combs and brushes) or sometimes cloth or wool padding, always sure to match a similar color to the lady's own hair. The rat was pinned beneath the natural hair, which was then arranged overtop to create the stunning effect.

Now, do not confuse a rat with the practice of ratting. This was also done, but as Qui-Vive advises: --

"There is only one argument against the pompadour, and that is the practice of “ratting” the hair underneath so that it will hold the waves out away from the head. This habit will invariably break and destroy the hair growth, the long strands gradually becoming ragged and of many lengths. A certain amount of roughening up with a comb will not prove fatal, but it is when the hair is left tangles most of the time that it becomes so ungroomed and assumes a generally unhealthy, unkempt appearance. At night let the pompadour lady comb and brush her tresses and arrange them in loose braids. This small attention is really due a respectable head of hair."

The one trouble with the use of a rat -- sometimes in this specific case referred to as an "inside pompadour" -- is that one needs relatively long, thick hair to be able to secure it properly. This is even more of a problem today where the fashions might have led a lady to clip her hair too short for this style; but it was not an unknown trouble even in the Edwardian era. Some women just have the bad luck that their hair is thin or just refuses to grow out to any sort of length. Qui-Vive continues, for their sake:

"When the hair is very thin, scanty and practically unmanageable, there are two means of imparting an appearance of abundance. One means is the inside pompadour which is worn under the natural hair, and the other is the outside transformation which covers the natural hair. If the hair is very short and wispy and not thick enough to fairly cover the pompadour, the transformation is more desirable."

"Transformations" were basically just pre-shaped pieces of false hair, similar to some of the ponytail and bun clip-ons one can buy from many a supermarket or beauty supply shop today. In this instance the subject would have just pinned in a pre-made pompadour piece around her hairline that matched the color of her own tresses.