24/06/2025
The image of George Washington with stark white hair is burned into our national memory, but that picture isn't the whole truth. 🇺🇸
As a young man, Washington actually had reddish-brown hair.
This is confirmed by portraits painted during his early life and even by a lock of his hair preserved at Union College, which is described as reddish-brown.
So where did the white hair come from? It wasn't a wig. Unlike many other wealthy men of his time, Washington never wore one.
Instead, he took part in a popular 18th-century fashion: hair powdering. To achieve the distinguished white look, Washington would have his own long hair coated in a fine powder, often made from starch.
He kept his hair long and tied it back in a neat queue, a specific type of braid, which was common for gentlemen and military men of the era.
This practice was a status symbol, signaling wealth and high social standing. It was the colonial equivalent of a designer suit. 🤯
As he grew older, Washington's hair naturally turned gray, but he continued to powder it, maintaining the iconic look we recognize today.
The white hair of our first president wasn't a product of age or hiding his hair, but a deliberate and fashionable choice.
Sources: Mount Vernon Archives, Union College, American Battlefield Trust, History Facts
