My great-grandfather Shelly Green was a barber and cut hair for many years.
Here are two men’s hair cut charts from 1884 & 1890:
1884 Haircutting Chart
Men’s Haircut Chart from 1890. This one also includes beards and moustaches.
Walpi Indian Girl, Circa 1900
When I saw this picture, I immediately thought of Princess Leia from Star Wars. :)
To see more hair-raising posts, head over to Sepia Saturday.
That barbers chart comes in handy. Mmmm what shall I choose?
Lovely photo of your great-grandfather and I like the hairstyle charts. Welcome aboard Sepia Saturday
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Thank you! I’ve had so much fun taking part in Sepia Saturday and what a nice group of participants.
Those hair cutting charts are interesting, not that I have had enough hair to need one for many years.
The child in the first photo looks very relaxed, the barber must have had a gentle touch.
The first hair cutting chart I recall was one I saw on the Andy Griffith show. Floyd the barber had one on the wall in his shop. Regarding the barber, I’ve been told my great-grandfather had a friendly & laid back personality, so I’m sure this helped put the child at ease.
Those haircut charts are really cool. It would be interesting to see a collection from different eras.
I agree it would be interesting to see charts from different time periods to see how hairstyles changed. I’ll have to check out the Library of Congress to see if they have additional charts.
I wonder if the hair dresser on star wars had seen that photo of the native American girl and used it for inspiration for princess leia.
Nancy
I wondered the same thing – it’s such an unusual hair style!
Really interesting post. Love the pic of your grandfater and the chart and the Princess at the end. Good deal!
These are great charts, and new for me. How very cool. He must have had a great life, cutting hair and just talking with everyone.
From what I understand my great-grandfather did enjoy his job and working with the public.
You came up with some great stuff here … those charts are cool. Like the ladies sitting down and flipping through the fashion mags to take their pick today. The lady with the Princess Leia hair is really neat.
Once I was waiting for my husband in the barber shop and a little boy was getting his hair cut professionally for the first time. Making conversation, the barber asked, “Do you have any pets?” The little boy, as proud as could be, said, “No. But we do have a t.v.!”
Kathy M.
What a cute story about the little boy – thanks for sharing.
How interesting. I guess the charts were what people used before all the beauty and hair magazines found their way to the beauty shops.
The barbers chart can be really handy when trying to date a photo. Do you have other charts from different time periods or perhaps some woman’s photo sytles of the time?
Regards, Jim
Hidden Genealogy Nuggets
Hi Jim,
I found the barbers charts at the Library of Congress website. I’ll have to check back to see if they have charts for women’s hairstyles or any other time period. If I find more charts, I’ll let you know.
Star Wars indeed!! Leia and her mom too!!
Your great-grandpa is the perfect subject for this theme.
HUGZ
I totally forgot about Princess Leia’s mom – you’re right she had this hairstyle also!
What a good idea the hair charts were – and I like the photo of your great grandfather cutting the cute boy’s hair. I hated having my hair cut when I was small and used to kick up a terrible fuss. Jo
A wonderful photo. My grandfather’s best friend was a barber and I can remember being that boy in the chair. Later because my dad was in the army, I used the post barber shop that always had posters of regulation military haircuts. But they all looked like the same crew cut.
Thanks – I’ so glad to have this photo of my great-grandfather. He worked at a post barber shop and you’re right, there’s not much difference in those military haircuts!
That one chart reminds me of the old toy that was of a man’s face and you used a magnet to move around metal shavings to create hair and facial hair. One of my favorite toys when stuck in the backseat of the car driving across country.
Did you know they still make those magnetic beard toys – I used some last year for birthday party favors. They are still a big hit after all these years.
I enjoyed studying the barber charts, but it was the photo of your grandfather that touched my heart. What a wonderful keepsake.
Hi Linda, thanks for your comment. While I didn’t have the pleasure of knowing my great-grandfather, everyone that knew him said he was a very kind man. I think his calming personality carried over into his work and this may be why the child in the picture isn’t upset like most young children can be when they get their hair cut.