Monday, January 29, 2024

George Washington's hair wasn't actually white

George Washington had reddish hair.

Famous Figures

D espite all the familiar portraits depicting George Washington with white hair, America's first President was closer to a natural redhead than many people realize. Though physical evidence is sparse, biographers have noted that the founding father boasted a reddish-brown mane. These darker locks can be seen in portraits of Washington as a young man, including paintings by artists Jean Leon Gerome Ferris and John C. McRae. There's also a locket at Washington's Mount Vernon estate containing a lock of reddish hair that was presented to Treasury Secretary Oliver Wolcott Jr. in 1797.

Another misconception about Washington's hair is that he wore a white wig, which was a common style choice at the time. But Washington was blessed with a full head of hair as he aged, which he powdered to look like the popular wigs of the time (his natural hair color eventually faded from reddish-brown to gray). The white color was favored by military men, and Washington often kept his hair at shoulder length and would tie it behind his head in a ponytail or with a ribbon. He would then fluff out the sides to give the appearance of a wig, and grease the hair with pomade to add firmness to his fluffy curls. Lastly, Washington sprinkled a fine white powder over his scalp for color, and often bunched his ponytail into a silk bag to prevent the powder from dusting onto his back and shoulders.

Thank you for supporting our advertisers!

By the Numbers

Years Washington served in the Virginia House of Burgesses

Electoral votes received by Washington in the first U.S. presidential election

Did you know?

Theodore Roosevelt owned a lock of Abraham Lincoln's hair.

Theodore Roosevelt felt a lifelong admiration for Abraham Lincoln, a fondness that began when 6-year-old Roosevelt watched Lincoln's funeral train pass by the window of his family's New York City apartment on April 25, 1865. During Roosevelt's own presidency, John Hay, Lincoln's former private secretary and Roosevelt's secretary of state, presented Teddy with an unusual gift: a gold ring containing six strands of Lincoln's hair. (Hay had previously gifted rings containing George Washington's hair to Presidents Rutherford B. Hayes and William McKinley.) At the time of Lincoln's death, it was common tradition to remove some hair to be kept as mementos, and Hay acquired some of the late President's locks for $100 (roughly $2,500 today). Roosevelt was so grateful for the gesture that he proudly wore the ring during his second presidential inauguration in 1905.

Thank you for supporting our advertisers!