Miss Havisham Storyboard

Miss Havisham Spider Diagram

The Victorian Era

The Victorian Era was the period of reign of Queen Victoria I from 20th June 1837 till her death on the 22nd of January 1901. This period of time was commonly known as one that brought peace, prosperity and self-confidence for the country. With the arrival of Queen Victoria came a sense of relaxation, the world started paying attention to luxuries and culture, under the theme of the Gothic Revival, seen in architecture, fashion, literature and other aspects of British culture. Photography emerged during this era which brought significant changes to Victorian art, with Queen Victoria being the very first monarch to be photographed for a portrait in Britain. 

Also, there was a considerable rise in the middle class population during these times, making the middle class family nothing to be ashamed of, as it was becoming more and more common. Instead of being considered beneath higher classes, they were seen as hard-working and stable people. Many families owned blacksmiths and  farms to earn their way, which was seen in Charles Dicken's novel Great Expectations. There was also a sense of privacy with middle class families, and 'gossip' of other families was commonly seen, again this is portrayed in the novel. 

Victorian Hair Trials

Crimping the Hair & Gothic Hairstyles

·        Kerby Grips

·      Hairpins

·      Pintail Comb

·      Crimping Irons (Large, Medium or Small)

1

·         

1.     Brush out the hair to ensure there are no knots or hairspray left.

2.     Section the hair off into smaller parts, incorporating the model’s natural           parting and hairlines. 

3.     Always start crimping from the bottom of the hair upwards, with the un-         styled hair clipped forward.

4.     Section off hair at the bottom of the head, making sure the sections isn’t         too large and the sectioned line is tidy. 

5.     Hold the crimping irons towards the top of the scalp, and hold for a few           seconds before releasing.

6.     Place the crimping irons directly underneath the previous crimp and repeat       steps until the entire head is crimped.

7.     Once finished crimping, roll the bottom part and top part inwards on the         crown of the head and pin securely. 

8.     Loop the side section rolling up the hair and secure with pins, repeat on the     other side.

9.     Backcomb the front section of hair lightly, loop into a quiff style on the top     of the head and secure with pins.

·        Never use hairspray.

·        Whilst the hair is still hot, it can be manipulated easier.

·        Never backcomb the top of the hair

For these trial hairstyles, we were learning the techniques to help us create the character 'Miss Havisham'. As she was a jilted bride, it is said that she never changed out of her wedding attire, thus having the same wedding updo throughout the story. This hairstyle was often associated with elegant women who were often quite wealthy. Her character also has hair ornaments and fascinators within the hairstyle, such as pearls and ribbons which were typically seen in Victorian wedding hairstyles. 

Summary of Great Expectations

Charles Dickens (b. 1812-1870), was an English writer and critic during the Victorian period and was well-known as the greatest. His thirteenth novel, 'Great Expectations', was narrated in first person and is under the genre of Victorian literature. The novel is based around an orphan boy nicknamed 'Pip', who is reflecting on his younger years whilst still being set in the current day. The novel covers many relevant themes to the era of the play such as wealth and poverty, love and rejection and good and evil. Many of these themes are portrayed through the characters of 'Estella', once an orphan like 'Pip' and her adopted, eccentric mother 'Miss Havisham', who's characters we will be re-creating for this project.