So given that people liked my Why Are French Braids Called French Braids? and What Do They Call French Braids In France? posts, (and my original post on this topic being lost to posterity) let me tell you about the most wonderful (and probably oldest) hair accessory in the world: the hair stick, also known as a hair pin or a hair bodkin. Or kanzashi, or binyeo, or…they have many names. You’ll see.
If you’re a fan of Janet Stephens, hairdressing archaeologist, you’ll be familiar with the term ‘bodkin’ as she uses it a lot. If you’re not a fan of Janet Stephens, whyever not?
And because humans like pretty things which are also durable, there are some beautiful examples of very old hair sticks which are made from bone and gold and silver and all sorts.
Did I hear you ask for pictures? My friend, we have ALL the pictures.
Kicking off with Africa, here’s a wooden hair bodkin from Tanzania:
From North America, a Native American bone pin (found in Arkansas):
Moving on to Asia, some Chinese Imperial hair pins:
Chinese pin from the Han Dynasty:
Early 20th century fan-shaped hair pin, Japan:
Vintage Japanese kanzashi, pictured here with matching comb:
From Korea, mid-20th century: the hair pins of Princess Nashimotonomiya Miyaki:
Traditional binyeo pin with matching eujangdo knife, also Korea:
And a Naga warrior hair stick from India:
Moving into Europe, here’s a Romano-British carved bone hair pin, 1st century AD:
Bone hair/dress pins from Jarlshof, Shetland (850-1100 AD):
This shaped bone dress/hairpin (500-300 BC) was found in East Lothian in England:
A set of Bronze Celtic hair pins from what’s now Hungary:
A post Medieval Silver Decorated Hair Pin/Bodkin, 17th-18th Century:
Italian 17th century silver pin:
And a very swanky gold one from 16th century France: Catherine de Medici’s hair pin, which was found in a communal toilet in Fontainbleau Palace:
Here’s a close up of those double Cs on the top:
The hair stick/hairstick/hairpin/hair bodkin: probably the world’s oldest and most widely used hair accessory.
I tried to find some examples of hair sticks from Australia and South America, so I could get every continent that actually has people on it, but I came up blank.
<Looks hopefully at History Side Of Tumblr>
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