Happy Hairstylists Appreciation Day!

In honor of Hairstylists Appreciation Day, here's some trivia about an aritfact from the Archaeological Repository.

My other half is missing, but is a mirror image. I am made of clay and aspire to give spirals and shape to the "Peruke." What am I?

Give up?

A wig curler!

This fragment of a wig curler was used to help curl and style the wig of its owner. Perukes, or powdered wigs, were popular with men (and women) during the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. This wig curler, also known as a bilboquet, is comprised of white ball clay, which was a popular material type for items that were heated to high temperatures. Wig curlers were often heated in an oven prior to use, or alternatively, an entire wig was heated with the curlers attached. Wig curlers came in many sizes, averaging between 6 to 8 centimeters in length, and these various sizes were used to create several varying sized curls. While this one is unmarked, the ends of wig curlers were often impressed with the initials of the manufacturer. A complete wig curler would have two bulbous ends and a narrow middle. It is common to find wig curlers broken in the center, as this is the weakest point. Although wigs were popular up through most of the Eighteenth Century, in the later decades their popularity decreased except for events that required formal attire.