Heated waving irons
Compare tong shape, handle insulation, heat source and the hair arrangement. Marcel waving used heated irons to create temporary waves; it was not itself a permanent-wave chemical process.
A mirror, a comb and a brush are so familiar that their history is easily overlooked. Yet each object brings together raw materials, specialist workshops, changing fashions, trade routes and the everyday routines of hairdressers and their clients.
Explore tools, materials and the craft behind them
From everyday workshop objects to specialised electrical equipment: follow the material, manufacturing technique, working practice and surviving historical evidence.
MirrorsGlass, reflective coatings and the salon interiorCombsMaterials, tooth cutting and manufactureBrushesBristles, handles and industrial productionMarcel ironsTemporary waves, heating and techniqueSalon apparatusSpecialised devices and working conditionsResearch questionsWhat the objects can and cannot prove
The mirror
Mirrors shaped the arrangement of salons and the relationship between practitioner and client. Their history involves glassmaking, reflective coatings, furniture, lighting and the changing experience of seeing oneself.
The comb and the brush
Combs and brushes served different functions: separating, arranging, detangling, cleaning and finishing hair. Their forms depend on materials, methods of manufacture and the work for which they were designed.
Three objects, three histories
- Mirrors: from polished reflective surfaces to glass mirrors with metal coatings, and from hand mirrors to fitted salon stations.
- Combs: wood, horn, bone, hard rubber, celluloid and later synthetic materials; hand cutting, moulding and mass production.
- Brushes: wooden or other handles, natural or manufactured bristles, drilling, setting and mechanised brushmaking.
Object-based research · Technical history
How to read a historical hairdressing tool
A surviving object tells us something different from an advertisement or a patent. The object can reveal materials, dimensions, wear and construction; a patent records a disclosed technical proposal; trade literature may establish marketing claims and intended users. None alone proves widespread adoption.
Combs and brushes
Study tooth or bristle arrangement, handle materials, manufacturing marks and repair traces. Patent evidence can document innovations, but individual dates of invention require verification.
Mirrors and salon furniture
Investigate glass production, reflective coatings, furniture, illumination and the social arrangement of the salon. Separate the history of manufacture from the history of salon use.
Permanent-wave apparatus
Heating elements, rods, suspension arms and scalp protection must be understood as parts of a working system rather than as interchangeable inventions.
Suggested catalogue fields
Object / manufacturer · approximate date · place · material · measurements · inscriptions · mechanism · provenance · image rights · primary source · confidence level. Record uncertain identifications as such rather than converting them into definite attributions.
Research leads: Lyda D. Newman’s US 614,335 (1898) is a useful patent starting point for brush history; contemporary catalogues and surviving examples are needed to assess manufacture and use. Read the patent →
The workshop behind the object
- Materials did not merely change the appearance of a tool. They influenced price, durability, cleaning, repair and the possibility of large-scale production.
- Regional craft traditions and specialised manufacturers deserve attention alongside well-known hairdressing brands. Todtnau and the surrounding Black Forest are particularly interesting for the history of brushmaking.
- For each object, the project will distinguish documented manufacture, advertisements, patents, surviving examples and later interpretations.
Questions for the collection
- What did a working hairdresser use in a particular decade, and what did clients use at home?
- How did industrial materials change the price and accessibility of combs and brushes?
- Which firms supplied mirrors, combs and brushes to professional salons rather than household customers?
Research status. This page is an introductory research overview, not a completed scholarly catalogue. Illustrations are design placeholders, not authenticated historical photographs or evidence. Specific claims will be documented with dated primary sources as the collection develops.
Explore the sources and projects
Salon tools and specialised apparatus
Mirrors, combs and brushes were everyday working tools; permanent-waving machines belonged to a different category of specialised equipment. Studying their use together can nevertheless illuminate the organisation of a salon and the changing relationship between manual skill and mechanical apparatus.
Marjorie Stewart Joyner’s 1928 design is an example: its overhead dome supported several electrically heated curling irons, while separate clamps reduced the weight borne by the client’s hair. The patent also illustrated scalp protection during winding.
See the full English-language discussions in Technology & Patents and Pioneers & People, and consult the original US patent and drawings.
The Marcel iron: an object, a method and a market
Marcel waving illustrates why an implement must be studied alongside the hand technique used with it. Heated tongs did not produce the wave automatically: temperature, pressure, direction and timing were all matters of professional skill.
What the packaging can tell us
The surviving package offers evidence of product presentation and printed directions. Its language, manufacturer’s marks and construction should be transcribed and compared with dated advertisements before assigning a production date. It is not itself a patent for the original invention.
For the distinction between temporary thermal waving and permanent chemical waving, see Technology & Patents: Marcel Grateau. The patented electric heater for flat winding is examined separately under Josef Mayer.
Other research collections
Comparative technical systems
The Technology & Patents collection now contains a detailed, evidence-labelled catalogue of Nessler, Gallia, Szeemann, Suter, Calvete, Croquignole, Frederics, Mayer and Joyner, alongside the distinct Marcel method. Explore the comparative catalogue →