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Hair powder in the eighteenth century

A woman at her dressing table in 1780 having her hair powdered by a male attendant. Coloured lithograph by Villain (?). Iconographic Collections. Original file: [A woman at her dressing table in 1780 having her hair powder Wellcome V0019752.jpg](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AA_woman_at_her_dressing_table_in_1780_having_her_hair_powder_Wellcome_V0019752.jpg). Creator: Not identified on the Commons file page. License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Attribution: Not identified on the Commons file page. Downloaded from the verified Commons file page; unaltered image. Checked 2026-10-25.

Leaving off powder, - or - a frugal family saving the guinea , by James Gillray (died 1815), published 1795. See source website for additional information. "Leaving Off Powder, or A Frugal Family Saving the Guinea", March 10th 1795 caricature by James Gillray, on the results of the new tax on hair-powder. The mother is trying on a new unpowdered wig, the daughter is disconsolately surveying in a mirror the effect of her new unpowdered hair style, the father is standing with his back to the fire in an unpowdered wig and reading a Gazette -- the first page of which says "New Taxes", and the second page "Bankruptcies" -- and the extremely dandified son isn't wearing a wig at all. The very powdered Charles II looks down from the wall. This set of images was gathered by User:Dcoetzee from the National Portrait Gallery, London website using a special tool. All images in this batch have been confirmed as author died before 1939 according to the official death date listed by the NPG.. Original file: [Leaving off powder, - or - a frugal family saving the guinea by James Gillray.jpg](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ALeaving_off_powder%2C_-_or_-_a_frugal_family_saving_the_guinea_by_James_Gillray.jpg). Creator: James Gillray. License: Public domain (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ALeaving%20off%20powder%2C%20-%20or%20-%20a%20frugal%20family%20saving%20the%20guinea%20by%20James%20Gillray.jpg). Attribution: James Gillray. Downloaded from the verified Commons file page; unaltered image. Checked 2026-10-25.

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A woman at her dressing table in 1780 having her hair powdered by a male attendant. Coloured lithograph by Villain (?). Iconographic Collections. Original file: [A woman at her dressing table in 1780 having her hair powder Wellcome V0019752.jpg](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AA_woman_at_her_dressing_table_in_1780_having_her_hair_powder_Wellcome_V0019752.jpg). Creator: Not identified on the Commons file page. License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Attribution: Not identified on the Commons file page. Downloaded from the verified Commons file page; unaltered image. Checked 2026-10-25.

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In the eighteenth century, hair and wigs could be powdered white to create a fashionable pale look. The powder was made, among other things, from wheat flour, cornflour, or white clay. The claim that natural red hair was generally considered a sign of immorality is too broad and is not repeated here.