My Regency Hair-do...

I've been thinking about how I will fix my hair for the Jane Austen Festival.  When someone says "Regency" or "Jane Austen" most people don't typically picture hair-do's like the one above.  Most of the time, we think of the the later-Regency, Hollywoodized perfectly positioned curls.  Like this picture of Lizzie Bennet below.

This is a Regency Era look, but it's more mid-to-late Regency.  The look I and my friends are going for is EARLY Regency...circa 1795.  So, this calls for an entirely different approach to hair.  During this transitional time, with all of the political upheaval in France, the 'wigged' upper-class were being de-throned...or should we say guillotined???... and so the fashion of the age turned to a more 'natural', common sort of appearance.

People went from this:

c. 1770's

To this:

c. 1790's

One famous artist, Elisabeth-Louise Vigee-Le Brun, portrait artist to kings and queens, embodies the new, natural look.

The two pictures above are self portraits.  The one at the bottom is Le Brun with her daughter.

Although I like many of Le Brun's portraits, this one below is the one that I've chosen to emulate when it comes to my hairstyle. 

My hair is not quite so full or long as hers, but I have the slight natural curl.  The good news about a hairstyle like this....I don't have to worry about humidity...because frizz is good!