From 1800 - 1915, both men and women sported tight curls like Caesar and Brutus. Then men adopted a style which was short at the back and long over the eyes. Next their hair was parted on the side; then it was parted in the center, followed by hair of Victorians being slicked back and combed into a high wave at the center of the forehead.

The grooming product to strengthen and smooth men’s hair was called Macassar Oil. This thick oil was made from vegetable, coconut, and palm oils and scented with yiang-yiang, supposedly products straight from the port of Makassar in Dutch East Indies. The hair product left ugly greasy stains on the backs of chairs.

Mothers, sisters, and wives could have forbidden men to come into the parlor, sitting room, or study with the oil in their hair. They could have insisted that men not sit in upholstered chairs at all but in wood dining chairs. There could have been daily bickering if not fights. The women could have marched on the Rowland Company in NY calling for a boycott of Macassar Oil.

Instead, the women devised a creative solution: antimacassars. These decorative and practical creations were crocheted, knitted, or embroidered and secured horizontally on the backs of upholstered chairs. Since arms of chair could also get worn or grimy, arm pieces frequently matched the chair back.

By the end of the century, men grew bushy beards and used wax on their handlebar mustaches and later, their flattops. The next grooming product introduced in 1928 was light weight, water based Brylcreem with the TV slogan “a little dab’ll do ya; Brylcreem, you’ll look so debonair.” No one preserved a greasy spot on a chair. But many antimacassars are folded carefully for the next generation to appreciate.

Writing Prompt:
Can you remember chair sets of crochet or knitting? Where were they?
Describe the room as you remember it with details from your imagination.