Posted by Kathy F. on August 05, 1997 at 09:30:48:
In reply to Re: hair up and coming out posted by Ann on August 05, 1997 at 00:37:24
] ] I am taking a wild stab at this and surmising that a girl's hair went up when she came out, i.e. when she made her official entrance into society and was presented at court and/or a ball.
] If P&P2 was acurate, then this might not be true during this period. At least one of the Gardiner children had her hair up and was certainly too young to be out. Another of the girls did have her hair down, though.
Also in P&P2, during the flashback sequences covered by Darcy's letter to Elizabeth, Georgiana is shown with Wickham after Old Mr. Darcy's death 5 years before the novel opens. Miss Darcy would be 11, but she has her hair up. I'm not saying that P&P2 is perfect, so that could be another fault in the movie.
Perhaps the hair-up thing came more from the Victorian era.
There was something in Mansfield Park about coming out, but I can't remember if hair was mentioned.
I just searched the novel on-line, but the sentences were too short. Here they are, in case you have the book and can look it up:
I sat there an hour one morning waiting for Anderson, with only her and a little girl or two in the room, the governess being sick or run away, and the mother in and out every moment with letters of business, and I could hardly get a word or a look from the young lady -- nothing like a civil answer -- she screwed up her mouth, and turned from me with such an air!Miss Augusta should have been with her governess.
(Both quotes deal with ladies who were not out, the first held her tongue; but the second showed no difference between herself and her sister who was out, so the gentleman talked with her as if were out.)
Kathy
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