Wigmakers and Hairdressers in Northern Europe, c. 1650–1850 From the late seventeenth to the early nineteenth century, wigmakers and hairdressers were at the heart of a fashion-driven and socially influential trade. Across Northern Europe, the creation, styling, and maintenance of wigs engaged thousands of skilled craftsmen and women. Drawing on extensive archival sources, this book reconstructs the lives and work of masters, apprentices, hair workers, and informal practitioners. It explores the professionalisation of the trade, the role of guilds, training systems, entrepreneurship, and the complex interplay between regulation and economic policy. The book also examines the social networks, welfare structures, and the shifting tastes that led to the rise and eventual decline of the wig industry. By restoring a human dimension to this often-dismissed trade, the book uncovers a dynamic occupational world shaped by fashion cycles, economic regulation, and evolving political contexts.

This book is included in DOAB.