Traveling Performers in the 1800s.

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On the Texas frontier, justice is a long ride. And love is the most dangerous gamble of all.

Jess’s Reckoning is now up for preorders! Won’t be long until release day on May 12th. I had so much fun with this story as Jess and Abigail find themselves trapped in an outlaw town where death awaits around every corner.

One of the more humorous parts is the fact that newspaperwoman Abigail Farnsworth wears a black wig over her blonde curls in an effort to escape notice. She has access to all sorts of fake wigs, mustaches, and beards through a woman she meets who once traveled across America with an acting troupe.

Research proved extremely helpful and I learned that wigs and artificial facial hair were very prevalent back in the 1800s. Of course, the judges and lawyers wore white wigs like their British counterparts but others wore a variety of colors for different reasons. Hair loss was a big thing back then. Maybe due to bad water, medicines made with opium and alcohol, and lead that was often in food and their homes. They were made of horsehair and other animal hair, sheep’s wool, vegetable fibers, and human hair. Egyptians wore wigs because they shaved their heads. In fact, they were probably the first people to wear them.

There were two different kinds of traveling performers – the medicine show and what was called tent repertoire theater. The medicine shows traveled by wagon out west selling elixirs and mostly fake medicines. They used an actor or two to entertain the crowd while the salesman made the pitch. Tent repertoire theaters were just that—performances in tents that could be pitched anywhere.

In my book the wigs and hair pieces were needed for disguises that helped them move around the outlaw town of Diablo Springs. Once you entered, you were not allowed to leave. Something Jess and Abigail learn too late.

While they’re kept there, they discover Jess’s little sister, the last of his missing siblings to be found. And that only complicates things more. Jess has his work cut out for him and after he’s beaten severely on the head with a hefty club, he’s left with double vision, headaches, and intermittent dizziness. You get the picture. Scary times.

Have you ever worn a wig or hairpiece? If not, would you want one? I have a nice wig that I bought following a botched haircut. I learned firsthand that they’re not all that much fun and I couldn’t wait for my hair to grow out so I could retire the wig. Every so often I get it out for a special occasion. And I also have a purple wig I bought for Halloween. Here’s a picture.

 

If you haven’t preordered Jess’s Reckoning, CLICK HERE. And if you’d like to read an excerpt, CLICK HERE. 

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Here in the Texas Panhandle, we do love our cowboys. There's just something about a man in a Stetson and jeans that makes my heart beat faster. I'm not much of a cook but I love to do genealogy and I'm a bit of a rock hound. I'm also a NY Times & USA Today bestselling author of historical western romance. You can contact me through my website and I'd love to connect with you on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and more. HAPPY READING!
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34 thoughts on “Traveling Performers in the 1800s.”

  1. Interesting wig history.

    I’ve only worn them for dress-up as a kid. I remember my mom wearing them sometimes in the early 70s.

    • Rhonda, I didn’t care for mine either. It got tiresome and they sort of itch. But it sure helped when I had to grow my hair out. I was so embarrassed. The lady at the wig shop thought I had cancer. Thanks for commenting.

  3. thankfully other than making my own extremely long hair white with corn starch and dressing as a witch in my younger days, I have not needed to wear a wig – my Mom had cancer and wore one daily she said it was hot and itchy!

  4. Good morning Linda! Oh yes, I have worn a long black wig once. Can’t remember where I got it, but wanted to play a trick on my husband. He came in from work and I had my baby son in my lap falling asleep. He walked through, raised his eyebrows and nodded heading the hallway looking for me! I started laughing and he walked back and looked at me again and said,”I was going to ask you who the attractive woman was holding my son.” Hehehe That was one of those funny memories and tricks we have played on each other. Not that we do it often, but we have now and again! I think I wore it for Halloween too. Do I have one now? No. You are right, they aren’t comfortable. And on a bald head, I think that would be really uncomfortable.

    Thanks for the wig history today! I just finished book two and enjoyed it! I waited to read it until I was closer to book three. This one sounds good too!

    Many blessings Linda!

    • Tracy, how funny! Sometimes little kids (and dogs) get a strange look on their faces when they see someone familiar in a wig. Like they’re not really sure who they’re looking at. It’s really funny. I’m glad you’re keeping the fun in your marriage. 🙂 Love and hugs.

  5. Hi Linda! I bought a wig to wear when I was going through chemotherapy. It was awful! I did not like the tightness on my head and it gave me a headache. So then I transitioned to scarves which I found much more to my liking.

    Looking forward to the McIntyre‘s book 3. It will be fantastic.

    • Hi Kathy! Yes, they can give you a headache. Mine sure did every time I wore it. I’ve seen a lot of cancer patients wearing colorful scarves and hats. They look really cute and like you said also feel much better. I sure hope you like Jess’s story. Love you, lady.

    • Debby, I hope you never need to wear one. It’s something that takes a lot to get used to. I loved the ease and hopping out of bed and throwing mine on. Ready in a jiff. Thanks for coming.

  7. In my 20s I had a couple of wigs. They were okay, but I didn’t really care for them. I’ ve also had a couple of hair pieces, but matching my hair color as i became older was a problem, so I gave up and gave them away.

    • Karijean, I’ve not had a lot of luck in matching hair pieces with my hair color either. Wigs are okay for people who really need them. These performers like Dolly Parton have a ton of wigs and so do movie stars. They always look picture perfect. I’m glad you came. Thanks for reading my post.

  9. I only remember my mom having one in the 60s/70s. This was when ladies went to the hairdressers once a week. Now that I think about it, I wonder what happened to it!!

    • Kate, I imagine your mom got tired of wearing it. I also remember when women went to the hairdresser only once a week. I can’t imagine going an entire week without washing my hair. I’m glad you came over.

  10. Hi Linda, I have never worn a wig and I dont know if I would wear one, I dont wear hats either, the hats and even the knits caps for winter make my head itch. When I was younger and I wore a helmet when riding on a motorcycle also made my head itch, so hopefully I will not have to wear a wig someday, The blog is very interesting , Thank you for sharing it. I did wear a wig once for Halloween, which was very uncormfortable . Have a great day and a great week.

    • It’s always nice to see you, Alicia. I hope you never have to wear one. Wow, even a motorcycle helmet made your head itch. I wondered about that every time I see a rider with one on. I’m glad you enjoyed my post.

  11. Hello my dear friend! I can’t wait for the new book! As to your post, I could never wear a wig! I don’t even wear a hat or anything on my head (including a ponytail holder!) due to my migraines and headaches. Anything on my head gives me a headache although I’ve tried various things over the years! No go!!! Thanks for your post!

    • Valri!!!! I’ve missed you, dear friend. I hope you enjoy Jess’s Reckoning. I think it ends the series well. I’m really sorry for anyone who suffers from migraines and headaches. Nope, wigs are out for you, lady. I’m happy to see you.

  12. I have never worn a wig and hope I never have too. My mother had one before she died and she always talked about how it was hot and itchy. lol

    • Sarah, believe your mom. They are hot and itchy. After I bought my wig to hide my hideous haircut, I had to fly to New York to meet with my editor. I was not going to let her see that mess. While I was there, I took an open air ferry out to the Statue of Liberty and I was so scared my wig would blow off. Thankfully, it didn’t. Thanks for coming.

  15. Not a full wig, but I had clip-in hair pieces that were purple! I desperately wanted purple streaks in my hair but I couldn’t afford to have it dyed, so this was a much cheaper option.

    • Kim, it’s strange the things we want and after we get it, we don’t like it. It’s just not what we thought. That’s happened so often to me. Thanks for coming.

  17. When I was quite a bit younger, I had both a full wig and a fall because I always wanted long hair and my natural hair, being very thin, didn’t do well long. I finally gave them up – don’t even know what happened to them now. However, when i lost all my hair because of cancer last summer, I was grateful for the wig the oncology clinic gave me. It looked very natural and some were surprise to learn I had lost my hair when i showed up without my wig!! I was glad when my hair got to the point I could go without my wig.

    • Ginni, I’m so sorry about your cancer. Nothing can be worse. I’m glad you were able to still look good until your hair grew out. Some wigs can really help fill in when that’s about all you have. I was grateful for mine too.

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