Crown NYC

🎥 via The Toilette by Josse-François-Joseph Le Riche after Louis-Simon Boizot, about 1774-75

“One of the highlights of my recent trip to Naples involved convincing my friends that it was absolutely worth getting the train out of the city, walking up to Pompeii, leaving the main route, walking through various tombs in the heat, and paying an extra €2 to visit the Villa of the Mysteries.

I regret nothing!

(And neither did they, they’re good eggs and excellent content capturers – thanks pals!)

The villa is famous for its extraordinary frescoes, which have undergone several rounds of restoration and years of conservation work.

No one knows for sure what the murals depict: common interpretations suggest they show an initiation into the mystery cult of Dionysus, but they’ve also been read as scenes of a bride preparing for marriage, a theatrical performance, or maybe something else entirely. A villa of mysteries indeed.

The reason for my piligramage was to see this character having their hair dressed. I’d seen it online a bunch of times, and wanted to go check it out for myself when we were in the area.

Amidst all the mysteries and symbolism, there’s something very familiar about this scene to me – holding a section up awkwardly while someone else fusses behind you, keeping the rest of your hair out of the way. It’s a pose I’ve found myself in so many times, albeit never for a cult initation (yet).

All good holidays need to be derailed slightly when there’s a chance of seeing some old timey hairdressing 🫡” - ✨

“The most unique hats of the 1920s were those that fell between the definition of hat and wig. These caps were so tightly fitted they resembled wigs, though they were never made of real hair. Instead, they were constructed from tight braided fabric or metallic cord anchored to a delicate net to completely conceal the wearer’s hair. These pieces made no attempt at looking like real hair, but rather they embraced looking unnatural, reflecting the influence of the avant-garde movement called Surrealism. While there were options of platinum blond, many were quite colorful and played with pastel blues, purples, pinks, and greens.” -