A Victorian woman with short hair?! Evelyn Rimmer, Lancashire

[ThrelfallYorky]

Think I've a very distant and loose connection by marriage with Seth Rimmer of Southport, off hand via one of his siblings? Seem to recall there were loads of them.
Haven't seen many images of victorian / edwardian ladies with proven short hair - sometimes it's so tightly pinned back that it can look that way, and if it's springy and wavy it can look even more that way - but why ever not have it cut short if she wanted?
Unlikely it'd be a requirement of hygiene, a cap would attend to that. Recovery from previous illness may be a possibility - but if the lady in question was worried about that, she'd probably wait to have her portrait taken until it was possible to style it in a more usual way.
Perhaps she had an another occupation ( bathing machine attendant? - although that'd be a long trek at Southport!) that made short hair helpful and practical. Didn't she spend some time as a baker? - hot and sweaty job)

[Treetotal]

You may be interested to know Ruth that there is a tree on Ancestry of her as Sarah Evelyn Rimmer Daughter of Seth born in 1870 in Southport and there is a lovely photo of her with her hair up that I would date to mid 1890s. Interestingly, although mistranscribed as Gayla, on the 1891 census she is listed as "A Baker" leading me to believe that somewhere between the mid-late 1890s and when she arrived in New York in 1910 she has had her hair cut. The photo you have put up is more typical of the Edwardian style.
Carol

[Gadget]

Really good find, Carol.

The tree has:

Married Ormskirk, 1892
Arrived NY, 1910
Died Michigan, 1919


Gadget

[ruthruss]

You may be interested to know Ruth that there is a tree on Ancestry of her as Sarah Evelyn Rimmer Daughter of Seth born in 1870 in Southport and there is a lovely photo of her with her hair up that I would date to mid 1890s. Interestingly, although mistranscribed as Gayla, on the 1891 census she is listed as "A Baker" leading me to believe that somewhere between the mid-late 1890s and when she arrived in New York in 1910 she has had her her cut. The photo you have put up is more typical of the Edwardian style.
Carol

Hi Carol, thanks for all your comments. There is nothing on the back of the photograph unfortunately, the dater thought that she looked about 20 and as born in 1870 used that to date but of course could be wrong. The tree you saw on Ancestry may be mine, I have several photos of her. All the sisters were pretty but she is just gorgeous. Thanks for your suggestion about her getting it cut in America

[california dreamin]

The first think I thought when I saw the photo was that the woman had had her hair cut due to illness.  So, I would definitely agree with those that have previously said this.  Something like scarlet fever would be my thought.  However, she may have had lice or her long hair may have become matted through a long bout illness and therefore needed to be cut.  I would google something like 'Victorian illness and short hair'.  I really don't think there is any deeper significance to this.

CD

[Maiden Stone]

The young woman seems to have thick hair on top of her head and what may be several small plaits at side.

[whiteout7]

There are examples of women with short hair on pinterest in the Victorian era.

Makes me think it was fashionable.

Also the suffragettes on "The Parades End" series had short hair (Edward was to be king as Queen Victoria was near the end or her reign)

[McGroger]

Like Carol (Reply #11) I couldn't resist having a play.  
Here are two different versions.
Peter

[tomkin]

 https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1DIEZ_enGB803GB803&q=short+hair+and+victorian+women&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj0_Py-46niAhWQSxUIHUrqDeIQsAR6BAgJEAE&biw=1267&bih=602