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Story: Personal grooming

1860s men's hairstyles

A range of mid-19th-century hairstyles can be seen in this montage of the members of the House of Representatives in 1860. Hair was collar-length or shorter and coupled with a generous amount of facial hair. Hair became shorter and beards tidier, but this combination remained standard into the 20th century.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: 1/1-003859-G

by John Nichol Crombie

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Bronwyn Dalley, Personal grooming – Men’s hair, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/zoomify/38743/1860s-mens-hairstyles (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Bronwyn Dalley, published 30 November 2012.