PRETTY CURIOUS | Is Gilded Age Hair So Big Because It’s Full Of Secrets?

Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness

Think Gilded Age hair is super 19th century? Uhhh - think again! The hairstyling practices and salon culture that we’ve come to know today draw major inspiration from the American salons of the Gilded Age (which of course drew inspiration from the French salons across the pond…vive la France)! What mysteries are hiding underneath the pompadour poofs of Gilded Age hair? Well wonder no more, because we’ve got a brilliant guest for you today to break it all down - Elizabeth Block! It’s giving history of hairdressing, Encyclopedia Beau-tannica vibes.

Elizabeth Block, is an art historian and a Senior Editor in the Publications and Editorial Department at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. She holds a PhD in art history from The Graduate Center at the City University of New York, and a Masters in American Studies from Columbia University. She is the author of “Dressing Up: The Women Who Influenced French Fashion” and her new book “Beyond Vanity: The History and Power of Hairdressing” came out September 10th!

Elizabeth Block is on Instagram @elizabethlblock and on TikTok at @elizabethlblock_author

Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to learn more about the products from this episode, or head to JonathanVanNess.com for the transcript. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN.

Find books from Getting Curious and Pretty Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn.

Our senior producers are Chris McClure. Our editor & engineer is Nathanael McClure. Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall.

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