We know that some of the earliest records of wigs come from ancient cultures. Records show Egyptians, Assyrians, Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans shaved their heads and wore wigs to protect themselves from the sun.
Beeswax was used to keep the wigs in place and wealthy Egyptians would wear elaborate wigswith scented cones of animal fat on top.
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire wig use declined in the West until a revival in the 16th century.
Because of unsanitary conditions at the time it became practical to have a shaved head and wear a deloused wig.
Queen Elizabeth I famously wore a red wig, tightly and elaborately curled in a 'Roman' style. King Louis XIII of France popularised wig wearing for men in 1624 when he began balding prematurely.
French styled perukes or periwigs were introduced into England in 1660 when Charles II was restored to the throne after a lengthy exile in France.
These wigs were shoulder-length or longer, imitating the fashion popular among French men since the 1620s, and their use soon became popular in the English court.
By the 17th century the style had extended to cover the back and shoulders and flow down the chest. Women also wore wigs, though less often than men.
Certain professions established specific wigs as part of their official costume. This practice is retained today in some legal systems, notably that of the United Kingdom.
Barristers must wear a wig slightly frizzed at the crown with horizontal curls on the sides and back, and two long strips hanging below the hairline at the neck with a looped curl at each end.
A judge's wig is similar, but more ornate. It's a full wig with a slightly frizzed top that transitions into tight horizontal curls that reach below the shoulders.
Most wigs are made of white horsehair, but as a wig yellows with age it takes on a coveted patina that conveys experience.
Horsehair may not seem like a precious material but pairing it with an age-old craft of styling, sewing and gluing, the resulting wigs aren't cheap.
A judge's full-length wig can cost more than $3000 while the shorter ones worn by barristers cost more than $500.
Katsura wig
The museum holds a horsehair wig from a former Wanganui City Council Town Clerk.
It was made by Ede & Ravenscroft, a London company established in 1689 which still produces wigs and ceremonial gowns today.
The wig comes in a bespoke black enamel tin hat box with hinged lid and fastener for a padlock. It has gold painted trim and a hinged handle on the lid, with a removable wig stand inside.
Another very different wig in the Museum collection was donated when the Nagaizumi-Whanganui Sister City Friendship Centre closed in 2015. The museum received a large donation, including a complete wedding outfit with a traditional katsura wig.
The wig is made of black oiled human hair.
It is styled with a coiled topknot and is decorated with a kanoko dome or ornament of silver metal with flowers with diamonds in the centre and red coral beads.
Below it hangs bira-bira, composed of metal strips attached by rings to the body of the ornament so that they move independently, pleasantly tinkling.
At the back of the wig is a kan zasii, a comb decorated with the same flowers and beads.
Wig case.
Wigs are still being used today to disguise baldness or for a ceremonial use, and are valuable to cancer patients suffering hair loss through chemotherapy.
