The Wigmaker in Eighteenth-Century Williamsburg / An Account of His Barbering, Hair-dressing, & Peruke-Making Services, & Some Remarks on Wigs of Various Styles.

An account of barbering and peruke-making in eighteenth-century Williamsburg that reconstructs daily work, services, clientele, and finances of local wigmakers and barbers. Drawing on court records, newspaper notices, and a surviving account book, it profiles craftsmen, their frequent debt disputes, and the range of services from shaving and hairdressing to wig construction and styling, along with pricing and workshop routines. The narrative places these practices within a longer history of shaving and wig fashion and shows how changing tastes and political shifts contributed to the decline of the trade’s prosperity.