In the Victorian era, a Western woman's hair was considered an important part of her appearance. On both sides of the Atlantic, it marked her status and her femininity.

An important rite of passage for an adolescent girl during this time was the moment she began to wear her hair up. Previously it would have been worn loose or in plaits and tied up with a ribbon.

A woman's hair was worn coiled and curled in a variety of elaborate hairstyles, sometimes embellished with jewels or feathers. These changed with shifting fashions, but the hair was not cut unless absolutely necessary.

As in many societies, religious doctrine was a factor in the policing of Victorian women’s hair, mandating that it be covered or done up, particularly if the woman was married. Letting one’s hair down was commonly seen as brazen and immodest, even sinful.

To a Victorian observer, photographs of women with long, loose hair would be particularly titillating.

Among the fashionable middle and upper classes of Victorian society, a lady’s hair became the focal point of sexual interest, the primary expression of her femininity. For the poorer classes, maintaining long tresses amid the disease and poor hygiene of the time was highly impractical. Many women resorted to selling their hair for cash — not a problem if they typically wore it short or covered anyway." mashable.com/2015/08/25/victor…