Horrid Bushes of Vanity

Increase Mather (left) and Cotton Mather (right) disagreed on wigs.

Soulofdiscretion asked if anyone has yet discovered whether the wild hairdo from Cotton Mather's is his own or a wig. Reading through "A History of Wigs" I came across an entry regarding 17th century Puritan views on the subject claiming that the Puritans believed that wigs were "horrid bushes of vanity." In fact, Cotton Mather's father (Increase Mather) is credited with coining this phrase. Yet it seems that Cotton, perhaps on account of his Christian name, rebelled against his father's parochial view on men's wig fashion. Excerpt:

The seventeenth century was one of dramatic change for men. Though the Puritan Parliament faction (called “Roundheads” for their short, somber haircuts) railed against wigs, and some Puritan pastors even refused to allow anyone wearing a wig into the church, this century saw the widespread use of wigs for men for the first time since the days of the ancient Egyptians... In the New World, despite protests from Puritan ministers such as Increase Mather (President of Harvard University), the wig craze spread. While Mather argued that wigs were “horrid bushes of vanity,” his son Cotton and many clergy adopted the fashion. Wigs were also popular in the South, and wealthy plantation owners and bricklayers alike wore them. Even slaves who could not afford authentic wigs made wigs from cotton wool and goat hair.

There you have it. Mystery solved. Cotton Mather ushered in the "wig craze" for Puritan ministers. Now, just for trivia's sake, did you know that King Louis XIII's baldness was the reason for the wearing of powdered white wigs so popular with America's founding fathers:

French King Louis XIII wore a wig to conceal his baldness, and when French King Louis XIV’s hair started to thin when he was 35, he shaved his head and wore a large wig. As a compliment to the Sun King, all his courtiers began to wear yellow wigs. Later, in old age, Louis wore an enormous wig, thickly covered with perfumed and white powder. Men and women (who were more likely to wear extensions), both old and young began to copy him as looking old became “in.”

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